Erin Ward was perfectly content to play only basketball in college.

That was before Geneva College gave her an opportunity she couldn't refuse.

Ward, a three-sport star at Butler High School who graduated in 1997, repeated her success in soccer, basketball and track and field at the college level.

"I was looking to just play basketball, but I was getting more looks at soccer and track," she said.

"When I looked at Geneva, the day after I talked to them, they offered me three sports. They were the only ones that let it be an option," Ward added.

Ward, now an elementary school teacher in Fairfax, Va., had the opportunity, but she wasn't sure she could match the success of her high school high-school days.

"It made me wonder," said Ward. "I knew the commitment level in college was higher. I voiced my concern with all three coaches.

"That was the best about being a small school. The professors worked with my schedule. They were very understanding," she added.

Ward entered Geneva having earned a total of 11 letters - she fractured her leg the day before the basketball season started her freshman year at Butler - and was more than just a contributing player.In soccer, she was a three-year team MVP, an all-section selection two times and a captain her senior year.She was a Butler County Elite 11 selection as a goalie with a 1.05 goals against average her senior year, despite spending time at forward, and was an honorable mention pick the year before.In basketball, Ward scored 1,005 points in her three-year varsity career, making her the sixth Butler female to do so, and was a two-year captain and first-team all-section pick as a senior.She was a three-time Eagle County All-Star selection, including first-team status as a junior and senior.As a senior, she led the Tornado in scoring (14.1 ppg.), rebounding (8.0), assists (3.8) and steals (4.7).Butler went 11-15 but qualified for the WPIAL playoffs."Erin was such a hard worker and was good with her teammates," said Jonna Burke, who coached Ward during her junior and senior seasons. "She'd score inside and outside, and she was just as good a passer as a scorer."If we didn't have her that year, we would have been 5-20 or whatever."A lot of times kids as good as she is don't get along with other kids, but that wasn't the case with Erin. She was so coachable and such a good kid," Burke added.Track and field season at Butler saw Ward letter all four years and she wrapped up her scholastic career with WPIAL titles in the javelin and shot put, in which she placed second and sixth, respectively, in 1997.Again, she served as team captain as a senior.Then came Geneva and a unique opportunity to continue playing all three sports, but Ward wasn't expecting to just step right in."Going in my freshman year, I thought I was going to be a practice-type of player," said Ward. "I went up my senior year (at Butler) to see what it was like."The soccer team was going to be young, and basketball I thought I'd get in here and there, maybe come off the bench."Track was the one sport I thought I could be the most successful at," Ward added.As it turned out, Ward made a name for herself in all three.She finished second in school history in career goals (62) and career assists (34), third in total points (93) holds the single-season record for goals scored (25).She lettered all four years and was all-conference each year, won two team MVP awards, two National Christian College Athletic Association All-American honors and was the 2000 NAIA All-American selection.During her basketball career, she scored 1,367 points (third all-time at Geneva), 276 assists (2nd), 528 rebounds (9th), 256 steals (2nd) and was an NCCAA All-East choice her senior year."I can't think of any other athlete I know to excel at both levels in three sports," said Burke. "If she had focused on one sport, who knows? She could have been a Division I player at one sport."I wish I could have coached her a couple more years. I often said to my assistants in the few seasons that followed 'We don't have an Erin Ward on this team,'" Burke added.In track and field, Ward set the school record in the javelin (130 feet, 4 inches). She was a national NAIA national qualifier, NCCAA national javelin champion and NCCAA All-American two times each.She was also just the third female in school history to qualify for the NAIA Championships.Ward might have improved on her success, but a torn ACL early in her senior year curtailed her season.She could have come back the following spring, but after graduating in December 2001, Ward chose to take her degree and to move on.She did help coach the Geneva women's soccer team that fall and was a graduate assistant for the women's basketball team, but she decided not to compete in track and field.Ward, who spent her college summers as a soccer and basketball youth camp instructor, landed a teaching position at Centreville High School in Virginia in 2002.It didn't take her very long to get back into the game."I'm an assistant varsity basketball coach. I definitely had the aspiration a long time. I'll take a couple of years, be a mentor and go from there," Ward said."I like it here, but eventually, I'd like to move back to Pennsylvania once I get a position up there. For now, there are a lot of opportunities down here."