• Tears welled in my eyes yesterday as I watched a video featuring Elms softball catcher Gina Gilday. I wasn't emotional because Gilday doesn't have any legs, but rather because she hasn't let her disability get in the way of her outstanding success. Gilday came off the bench as a defensive replacement in both ends of a doubleheader sweep of Johnson State last Saturday, and has become an integral part of a team that is 19-15 this season.

• Have you seen Adam Frey's blog? In March, the Cornell wrestler was in a car accident that would change the course of his life. While Frey miraculously survived the messy wreck, the tests he took that day at the hospital revealed something he hadn't expected - cancer. Two days after the diagnosis, Frey began writing a blog, allowing people to follow along with his every move and his battle with chemotherapy. The response has been tremendous and the content is as inspirational as it comes.

• On Tuesday, we wrote about the wonderful display of sportsmanship exhibited by Central Washington senior Mallory Holtman, who carried Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky around the bases after she tore her ACL after hitting a homerun. There has been a great deal of conversation about whether or not a men's team would have done the same thing. I tend to believe that the same goodness that propelled Holtman exists in both male and female student-athletes. Are we making a big deal out of this because it occurred in a team sport, and we don't expect sportsmanship as much as we do in sports like golf and tennis, where student-athlete are responsible for counting strokes and calling balls in or out?

• I've been inspired a number of times this week, and the stories have reminded me of everything that's good about intercollegiate athletics. Are there certain qualities inherent in student-athletes that allow them to be so inspirational?

• More than $30,000 was raised for the Connor Senn Memorial Fund on Tuesday night, as the Ohio State men's soccer team took on Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew in an exhibition match. While the pros beat the college kids, 4-1, there were a lot of smiles around the pitch, as the record-setting figure was raised in memory of Senn, who collapsed during a 2001 Ohio State match and died later that night. In the seven years since the memorial game was established, more than $130,000 has been raised for the scholarship fund.

• Last March, we discussed the prowess of St. Joseph's (Long Island) pitcher Jennifer Martinez, who tossed a pair of no-hitters on the team's spring break trip. Now a senior, Martinez is setting all sorts of Division III records this season. Last week, Martinez set a divisional record with 24 strikeouts in an 11-inning win over New Jersey City. The 24 punch-outs shattered Martinez' previous record of 21. The career strikeouts record was also set in that game, and after she picked up 30 in a doubleheader on Sunday, Martinez now has 409 for her career. In three seasons with the program, Martinez has thrown four perfect games, 10 no-hitters and struck out 20 or more 10 times.

• Soccer pioneer Gordon Bradley died Tuesday following a battle with Alzheimer's. After a professional playing and coaching career, Bradley took over the men's program at George Mason and retired in 2000 with a 183-113-35 record. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1996.

• Benjamin Dato had all intentions of finishing his high school soccer career, but all that changed when a football coach saw him kick prior to his sophomore year. Dato gave up soccer, went on to punt for Fordham and on Sunday was signed as a free agent by the Baltimore Ravens. This isn't the first former soccer player to make a mark kicking footballs, but it's certainly a unique story in sports. Can you think of any other examples of someone excelling in one sport and making a late, successful switch to another sport at a high level?