It had already been a memorable sophomore season for Megan Gasparin.

But the two-sport star managed to make it even better.

Gasparin, a 2002 graduate of Seneca Valley and Renfrew native, led the Malone College women's soccer team to the NAIA national tournament last November.

This spring, she finished seventh in the discus at nationals in track and field.

A back injury threatened to halt Gasparin's athletic career before she even made it to high school.

"It was 1997," she said. "I remember waking up one morning and there was a pain in my back. I wasn't sure what was causing it and it took doctors two months to diagnose it as a broken back.

"It's always going to be there," she added of the back pain. "It's something I will be dealing with for the rest of my life."

Gasparin was involved in running events on the track team, but the back injury forced her to change course.

"My brother was into the throwing events," Gasparin said. "He didn't want me to have to quit track all together, so he convinced me to take up throwing."

Gasparin was named to the all-section team in soccer her senior year and set Seneca Valley's all-time mark in the discus with a throw of 125 feet the following spring.

That mark still stands and is the sixth best ever by a high school female athlete in Butler County.

"I'd like to see that mark hold for a while at Seneca," she said.

Malone College, located in Canton, Ohio, was an easy choice for Gasparin.

"I wanted to go to a school where I knew I could play soccer and compete on the track team," she said. "So it was a great fit for me."

But her ailing back kept her from seeing the playing time she was hoping for in her freshman season on the soccer field.

She ended the 2002 campaign with three goals and two assists.

Before the 2003 season, doctors decided to give Gasparin cortisone shots.

"I got three of them," she said. "It was amazing how much they helped me. My back still flares up every game, but it's nothing like it used to be."

Gasparin led the Pioneers with 10 goals as the team was knocked out of the NAIA national playoffs with a final record of 17-4-2.

"I don't think the coaches were expecting me to lead the team in goals, but everything just seemed to fall in place for me.

"Making it to nationals was something we were all hoping and aiming for," Gasparin added. "But I don't know if we thought it could actually happen to us last year."

After competing in the indoor track season over the winter, Gasparin tackled the spring outdoor season in the discus and hammer throw.

She ended up qualifying in the discus for the NAIA national meet, held in late May in Louisville, Ky.

"My goal going in was just to have a good jump in my (personal record), which was 128-11," she said.

She got that, along with a jump from where she was seeded to where she finished.

"I was seeded 28th going in," she said. "I ended up in seventh place with a 141-8."

The mark was one foot, nine inches from earning All-America status.

Despite the success during her sophomore season, Gasparin is not resting on her laurels.

"It was a pretty amazing year," Gasparin said. "I'm staying positive and have convinced myself that I will be able to build on those performances next year."