Mary Varga (2013) - Hall of Fame - University of Akron Athletics

Mary Varga

Induction:
2013
Class:
2004

1999-03
Heptathlon

A five-time All-American and three-time Academic All-American in track and field, Mary Varga was named one of The University of Akron’s top-40 female athletes as part of its celebration of the 40th anniversary of Title IX during the 2012-13 academic year.

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As a freshman in 1999, it was evident that she was well on her way to becoming one of UA’s finest as she set the school and Mid-American Conference record with a high jump of 6-01.25 that won her the MAC title. She went on to earn All-America honors by placing ninth in the high jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

As a sophomore, Varga established another UA record when she threw the javelin 150-1. She was named Most Outstanding Performer at the 2001 MAC Indoor Championships, when she captured the high jump with a record-setting 6-1.25 effort and won the pentathlon with another program and MAC meet record of 4,078 points. At the NCAA Indoor Championships that year, she finished second in the high jump to again earn All-America honors. During the 2001 outdoor season, she bettered her javelin record to 158-4 at the Texas Relays, won MAC titles in the high jump and heptathlon, and took second in the javelin.

In 2001, Varga became the first UA female athlete to qualify for three events at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned All-America honors in two, the high jump and pentathlon. Her outstanding performance earned her UA’s Female Athlete of the Year Award as she was accorded Verizon Academic All-America Second Team honors. She repeated the latter award in 2002 and gained a first-team selection in 2003.

Varga claimed her fifth All-America honor by finishing eighth in the heptathlon at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

After earning a degree in sport and exercise science from UA in 2004, she graduated from A.T. Still University in Mesa, Ariz., in 2007 with a doctorate in physical therapy.