Cornell's Jeomi Maduka stars on the track and the basketball court

3/20/2008 12:50 PM

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Sports Writer

Jeomi Maduka isn't a household name, but that could change as the two-sport star is about to do something not even Jackie Joyner Kersee or Marion Jones accomplished.

The Cornell junior is believed to be the first woman to be an indoor All-American in track and field and play in the NCAA basketball tournament in the same season.

Though Joyner Kersee, a legendary UCLA star, and Jones, a standout at North Carolina, competed in the same sports, not even they can list Maduka's feat on their resumes.

While track is definitely her better sport - the 6-foot-2 Maduka has already qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the long jump - she wouldn't want to give up basketball.

``I'm excited about the rest of the basketball season as I'm all about improving,'' said Maduka, who was the Ivy League Player of the Year, averaging 14.3 points for the Big Red. ``I didn't start playing competitively until eighth grade. I've been doing track for a much longer time as my parents always enrolled me in track clubs.''

Cornell might not have much left in its season as the Big Red play No. 1 Connecticut on Sunday night in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Maduka was recruited by Cornell to run track. When she got to the school, however, she asked to meet with the basketball coaches.

``My official visit was a track visit,'' she said. ``I expressed that I wanted to play basketball and the coaches told me to send a tape. Once they saw me play they became really interested in me.''

The opportunity to play both sports was a real selling point to Maduka, who had many other track offers. That and the opportunity to get a great education made her choose Cornell.

``I have a good opportunity to do two things I really like to do and go to an Ivy League institution,'' she said.

Despite long days balancing two sports and a pre-med academic load, Maduka sees it all as a positive experience.

``It makes my life more interesting, makes me a more well-rounded person,'' the Texas native said. ``It's never impossible or I would have quit one of the sports by now. Its fun for me.''

Because NCAA regulations limit the number of practice hours, it's sometimes difficult for Maduka to practice both sports on the same day. One day she may be practicing with the basketball team, the next track.

``We sit down in September and map out her schedule for the upcoming season,'' Cornell track and field coach Lou Duesing said. ``She has a sense of what each and every week she is going to do and when. On Monday she may be playing basketball, Tuesday track, and so on.''

Maduka can compete in both sports on game days if she stays under the hours limit. There have been occasions this season when she jumped at a home meet during the day and then went and played a basketball game that night.

The one time that Maduka chose track over basketball was for the conference championships March 1. The basketball team lost to Harvard 51-48 that night, dropping the Big Red out of first place in the league.

Maduka was named the outstanding performer at the conference meet, winning the 60-meter dash, long jump, and triple jump to lead Cornell to a third-place finish.

``She's one of the most gifted athletes I've ever seen,'' Cornell basketball coach Dayna Smith said. ``She does half of what we do and she's still able to pour in 15 points a game.''

This past weekend Maduka had the ultimate athletic experience. She competed at the NCAA track and field championships in Arkansas, earning All-American honors in the long jump (20 feet, 5 1/4 inches) by finishing eighth. It wasn't her best jump as she missed the takeoff board, but was just the start of a long weekend.

She had to miss competing in the triple jump Saturday to catch an early flight back to New York City to practice with the basketball team before the league championship game against Dartmouth. Maduka scored 14 points to help guide Cornell to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.

``I'm so happy about how this weekend turned out,'' Maduka said. ``It's really like a dream come true. Everyone keeps talking about it and asking me about the travel and if it was difficult to do both. But really, I've been doing things like this for the past three years so it's something I've gotten used to.''

Had Cornell not gotten the bye to the championship game in the Ivy League playoff, Maduka wouldn't have been able to compete in both events.

The biggest challenge Maduka has faced is her own internal pressure not to let anyone down. But her coaches and teammates have made a concerted effort to focus on the time she is there and not worry about when she can't show up.

``It definitely helps when I'm there the coaches are like let's make the best out of it,'' she said.

Maduka has been the outstanding performer at the last three Heptagonal championships and is one of the best track athletes all-time at Cornell. She has won nine conference titles during her first three years at Cornell and holds 12 school track and field records.

``Without a doubt,'' said Duesing, who has been coaching at Cornell for 17 years. ``Given all she's trying to do and the limited amount of time she's able to give to track, she's remarkable.''