Armstrong Co. Sports Hall of Fame: Freeport’s Jennifer Sproull to be inducted April 26
Jennifer Sproull savored every minute of her high school athletic career.
“Sports was all I knew,” the 1991 Freeport graduate said. “I looked forward to it every day.”
That passion, combined with her natural ability, led to a decorated high school career.
She set school records in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, qualifying for states in both events along with the Yellowjackets’ 4x400 relay.
In basketball, she starred for head coach Tom Saulle, helping Freeport reach the state playoffs twice as a forward and averaging 14.9 points and 10.5 rebounds as a senior while being named All-WPIAL.
Those efforts have earned Sproull induction into the Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame. She will be one of 10 people honored at a banquet at 4 p.m. April 26 at Laube Hall in Freeport Area Community Park.
“I got the call from (former track coach) Bill Dillen, and I didn’t expect it,” said Sproull, who now lives in South Carolina. “It’s hard for me to celebrate me, but I’m proud to share it with my family. I will be coming back for the inductions, and my dad, brother and my son and daughter will be joining me.”
Sproull said both of her parents were very competitive. Her mother, Barb, played basketball at Indiana (Pa.) State College.
“My brother, Kevin, played baseball growing up, and I followed him,” Sproull said. “They didn’t have youth softball back then, so I started with baseball.”
By the time she reached high school, it was basketball and track taking up Sproull’s time.
The hurdles soon proved to be her specialty.
“I saw the hurdles as more of a challenge than just running,” she said. “I did well, and remember winning a lot of races,” she said. “But I was never satisfied, was always looking to do better.”
During her senior year in basketball, Sproull broke Freeport’s record for free throws made in a single season with 100.
“I was a team-oriented player and had some amazing teammates in both sports,” she said.
Sproull had an offer to play Division II basketball, but continued a family tradition by enrolling at Penn State.
“My freshman year, I was just going to classes. Sports were behind me, and that was hard to get used to,” Sproull said. “Then I met some other students socially, women who were on the rugby team, and they said I looked like a rugby player, tall (5-foot-10) and athletic. I took that opportunity and ran with it.”
Just like she had in high school, Sproull wasn’t just a member of the team, she was a leader, helping PSU finish third in the country twice and runner-up once. She was named Midwest Region MVP and an All-American.
But Sproull, who said she “focused on the experience of playing sports and not the individual awards,” took away much more than hardware.
“Rugby is not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle, a family,” she said. “I made some lifelong friends by playing on that team.”
Sproull has two grown children — son Mitchell and daughter Jordan. Since graduating from PSU in 1995, she has coached tennis, basketball and track and field at various levels.
