Best Amateur Athlete
Christie Ambrosi
Just five years after tearing up the softball diamond at Blue Valley Northwest High School, Christie Ambrosi is now among the best in the world. As a senior, she was All-East Kansas League, All-Metro, and All-State. She was a 15-0 pitcher with 114 strikeouts and a mean .255 ERA. At the plate she was nearly unstoppable, with a .646 batting average. But that's nothing compared with what she did in September, when she climbed the medals stand with her teammates in Sydney, Australia, to receive her Olympic gold medal. What made the moment even sweeter was that her mom, Mimi, was there to witness. The elder Ambrosi had sold her home in Overland Park to finance the trip.