Muleskinner

Issue date: 3/5/08 Section: Sports

Commentary: Nate Taylor [Click to enlarge]

This column is for all the student athletes. Daria Zerr stepped onto the basketball court inside the Multipurpose Building during halftime of the Mules basketball game Saturday and listened to cheers she hadn't heard since 1999.

She had become a Central Missouri Hall of Famer.

Daria was a three-year volleyball player at UCM with a stellar career. Her athletic awards speak for themselves.

She was a two-time All-American and was a two-time First-team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region pick, and a three-time All-MIAA selection.

She was the 1999 Jennies and MIAA Most Valuable Player and twice was named to the MIAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

If that's not enough, maybe her records will convince you. Zerr holds the Jennies single-season records for kills, with 692 in 1999 with 17 matches with 20 or more kills and is the career holder for kills per game with 4.54.

She also ranks sixth in UCM history for career kills with 1,538 and second in career matches with 20 or more kills with 26.

If records aren't enough, maybe her team performance will be. Zerr completed her resume as her teams also won the MIAA title all three seasons she played while only losing once in conference action.

"It's a huge honor," Zerr said. "I never anticipated being in the Hall of Fame. I knew my statistics and my awards, but I guess I never saw the player in me that others did."

There is no doubt Zerr is a Hall of Famer, but here's the interesting thing: she also teaches in the nursing department as an assistant professor.

I was so happy to see the Athletic Department honor Zerr. It's one thing to be great in athletics, but for Zerr, it means more than that, and that's refreshing. She was willing to teach others, and the town has embraced her.

During her career, Zerr was not the person she is today. She talked to me about how she thought everything should have been given to her when she was an athlete. Then coach Peggy Martin changed everything.

"Martin was a very stern coach. She told me that I was one of the top-10 hardest players to coach," Zerr said. "She taught me the value of leadership and teamwork. When she named me team captain, I got to know a lot about myself and the leadership has translated to my career. I told her Saturday thank you for everything."

Listening to Zerr, I think it's important for athletes playing now to see others before them succeed.

Hopefully, for the athletes at UCM, they can learn from Zerr by walking to the University Health Center and entering room 105.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools