Samantha Heyison
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | August 5, 2005 Adamstown, Maryland, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Education | Wake Forest University | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para-athletics | |||||||||||||||||
| Disability | Constricted band syndrome | |||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | F64 | |||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | discus throw shot put | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Samantha Heyison (born August 5, 2005), is an American Paralympic athlete specializing in throwing events. She will represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Early life and education
[edit]Heyison played soccer, softball and basketball growing up, before focusing on track and field.[1] She attended Urbana High School in Ijamsville, Maryland. During the 2021 Maryland 4A state championship she finished in second place in discus and fifth in shot put.[2] She was the 2022 Maryland 4A state champion in discus and the 2023 Maryland 4A state champion in both discus and shot put.[3][4] She was named a two-time U.S. Paralympics track and field high school Athlete of the Year.[5][6]
She attends Wake Forest University and is a member of their track and field team.[7]
Career
[edit]Heyison made her international debut for the United States at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships and won bronze medals in the discus throw and shot put events. [8]
In July 2024, during the U.S. Paralympic team trials, she qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in discus throw and shot put.[9][10]
Personal life
[edit]Heyison was born five and a half weeks premature and diagnosed with Constricted band syndrome, which resulted in a clubbed left foot with all five toes being partially amputated, a right foot with three toes fused together and a right hand missing two fingers. Her mother, Tanya, played volleyball at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, while her father, Marc, was a baseball player and drafted in the ninth round of the 1983 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Swatek, Greg (December 30, 2021). "Adamstown's Heyison takes aim at Paralympic Games". Frederick News-Post. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Gronowski, Gianna (August 29, 2022). "Samantha Heyison is now the world's best in shot put, and she's just getting started". Washington Jewish Week. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Lee, Edward (May 25, 2023). "Frederick County teen Samantha Heyison, daughter of former Orioles draft pick, at top of world para athlete rankings". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Swatek, Greg (May 29, 2023). "Built in same mold, TJ boys, Urbana girls claim team titles at state track and field championships". Frederick News-Post. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Dacy, Alexander (December 8, 2022). "Urbana's Heyison earns US Paralympic Track and Field honor for second straight year". Frederick News-Post. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Samantha Heyison". teamusa.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Samantha Heyison to Represent Team USA at 2024 Paralympics". godeacs.com. July 23, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Drumwright, Steve (June 6, 2024). "Samantha Heyison's Parents Blessed Her With Athleticism … And A Pump-up Song". usparatf.org. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Gowdy, Kristen (July 21, 2024). "Fifty-four Athletes Nominated to U.S. Paralympic Track & Field Team". usparatf.org. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Swatek, Greg; Cannon, John (July 26, 2024). "Poised for Paralympics: Urbana grad Samantha Heyison, three others with local ties, set for Paris Games". Frederick News-Post. Retrieved August 5, 2024.