Prep Flashback: Ex-Mount Rainier star hit peak in World Cup

Athlete: Shannon (Higgins) Cirovski, Mount Rainier, Class of 1986

Sport: Soccer

High-school rewind: One of the top female soccer players in state history. Led Rams to Class 3A state semifinals her junior and senior years, but never won a championship. Mount Rainier lost 1984 title game to Tyee in a shootout, then was third after a semifinal loss to Shorecrest in '85.

After high school: Helped North Carolina sweep four NCAA titles and compile a cumulative record of 89-0-6 from 1986 to '89. She scored the winning goals in three title matches (1987, '88, '89). Higgins was a two-time, first-team All-American, was named Player of the Year by Soccer America magazine in 1988 and '89 and earned the Hermann Award as the nation's top Division I women's soccer player in 1989. She played internationally and assisted on both U.S. goals in a 2-1 win over Norway in 1991 World Cup final. She was inducted into National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002.

After athletics: She continued her success as a coach. Was women's coach at George Washington from 1991 to '97, leading Colonials to their only NCAA tournament appearance and 69-59-11 record. Moved to Maryland from 1999 to 2004 and led Terps to three NCAA tournament appearances before retiring to spend more time with her family.

Personal: Shannon and Sasho Cirovski, who is the men's soccer coach at Maryland, have three daughters: Hailey, 11; Karlin, 9; and Ellie, 3. Shannon's parents, Ken and Sandy Higgins, still live in Des Moines.

Fast forward: Retiring from coaching "has been good for our family," Shannon said. "I haven't had a time in my life when I haven't been going 100 miles an hour. It's been really refreshing."

Not surprisingly, her older daughters play soccer. Shannon stays fit playing tennis, something she had no time for previously.

Sandy Ringer