Female Athlete Of The Year / Heather Reichmann, King's -- Her Choice? Overall Excellence

SHORELINE - Heather Reichmann's best attribute is up for discussion.

Her future college coach says it's determination. Her swimming coach says it's pure athleticism. Her basketball coach says it's a stringent work ethic. And her principal, who swears the 3.885 student is an academic marvel with a caring heart, says it's a personality made of gold.

But they agree on one thing: Reichmann, a senior at King's High School in Shoreline, is one of the best prep athletes they've ever seen.

"It's the truth, no question," said King's girls basketball coach Eric Rasmussen when asked if Reichmann compares to the area's best athletes in recent years. "She's probably one of the most determined athletes that we have ever had, and day in, day out in practice, game in and game out, she gave everything that she had."

And for the second straight year, Reichmann has been named The Seattle Times' North End Female Athlete of the Year.

Reichmann, a 6-foot-1 forward who has accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of Washington, has completed one of the most prolific three-sport prep careers in state history. In earning 12 varsity letters, she has won four individual state titles and been part of three team championships. She has placed second at the state swim meet three times and second in a handful of events at the state track meet on five occasions. Reichmann, who has been picked to two senior all-star basketball games this summer, is a three-time state javelin champion and a two-time most valuable player at the Class A girls basketball state tournament.

Susie McDowell, Reichmann's swim coach, is most impressed with the sprinter's diverse athletic success.

"The level that she reached in swimming for not swimming year-round is remarkable," McDowell said.

UW women's basketball Coach June Daugherty said the success is part athleticism, part determination.

"When I look at Heather, I see someone who's extremely athletic, very skilled at a lot of different sports, but determined to achieve the highest level," said Daugherty.

Although the 1996-97 academic year was probably Reichmann's most successful in terms of winning state championships, her achievements the past nine months are equally stunning. Reichmann, who swims for Shorewood High during the regular season because King's doesn't offer the sport, came up .15 seconds short of her first state swimming title last fall, finishing the 50-yard freestyle in a personal-record 23.96 seconds, but short of the winner, who won in 23.81. Reichmann also placed fourth in the 100 free (53.08).

In basketball, she averaged 19.2 points and 13 rebounds, leading the top-ranked Knights on a return trip to state and a second-place finish at the 1A tournament. And after four varsity seasons, she holds the program's career records in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.

Most recently, Reichmann, who plans to compete in the javelin for the Huskies, won her third straight state javelin title at the 1A state meet last weekend with a throw of 148 feet, 10 inches. She also finished second in the discus (128-3) and shot put (38-2 3/4) and in a three-way tie for second in the high jump (5-0).

Still, of all her accolades, Reichmann's most precious moment occurred about 1 1/2 years ago when King's won the Class A state basketball title, the school's first.

"My best memory is still the state basketball tournament my junior year. . . . We weren't expected to do that at all and we were completely the underdog," Reichmann said. After King's was eliminated from the tournament her freshman year, "we'd stayed for the championship, and thought those teams were so cool, and all of a sudden, we were there."

While athletics consume most of her life, Reichmann makes time for what matters. In early April, after weeks of fund-raising, she gave up her spring break to be one of 24 King's students who traveled to Ukraine as part of a community-service project. The group members stayed in an orphanage north of Kiev for seven days, caring for the local orphans.

"Those kids just glommed onto her, and it was fun to watch her being a nonathlete and interacting with those kids," said King's Principal Linda Montgomery. "Heather is a solid-gold person, and her character is as excellent as her athletic ability."

Reichmann is as well known for her humility as her successes.

"I think she is a very quiet person," Daugherty said, "but a very dominating person when it comes to taking care of business on the athletic field, in the pool or on the court, whatever she's chosen to compete in."

She chose them all. And excelled in every one.

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Heather Reichmann / bio

High school - King's (Shoreline).

Sports - Swimming (competed for Shorewood High), basketball, track and field.

Year - Senior.

Honors/highlights - Three-sport athlete is a three-time Class A state javelin champion and a two-time most valuable player at the Class A girls state basketball tournament. As a senior, placed second at 3A state swimming meet by .15 seconds in the 50-yard free; was fourth in the 100 free. Averaged 19.2 points and 13 rebounds to lead King's to second-place finish at 1A state basketball tournament. Named North Cascades Conference player of the year after two seasons as the Cascade A League MVP. Won the 1A state javelin title (148-10) and finished second in the shot put (38-2 3/4) and discus (1283) and in a three-way tie for second in the high jump (5-0). As a junior, placed second in 50 free (time was a hundredth of a second slower than winner's) and 100 free at AAA meet, won the javelin and discus and led King's to the state basketball title. Was second in javelin and discus as a freshman, third in the 50 free, fifth in the 100 free, first in the javelin and fourth in the discus as a sophomore. Also a member of King's state-champion track and field teams the past two seasons.

Hobbies - In earning 12 varsity letters, Reichmann's life is consumed with sports, but she also enjoys hanging with her friends and listening to music.

Personal - Father is Frank; mother is Susan; second youngest of six children; siblings Holly (28), Hilary (22), Graham (21), Matt (19) and Nick (14).

College - University of Washington, basketball scholarship.

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Female athletes of year

City - Nadja Morgan, Blanchet, senior - volleyball, basketball, track.

Eastside - Sara Best, Inglemoor, junior - soccer, basketball, track.

North End - Heather Reichmann, King's, senior - swimming, basketball, track.

South End - Celeste Quitiquit, Kennedy, senior - volleyball, basketball, track. Tomorrow: Male athletes of the year.