KU heptathlon champion springs from unlikely roots in Hamilton, Mo.
On the surface, the antiquated gravel track and absence of field amenities at Penney High School in Hamilton, Mo., make baffling what blossomed from here earlier this month in Eugene, Ore: Lindsay Vollmer, a sophomore at Kansas whose hometown training hinged on what she playfully called strange stuff, won the NCAA heptathlon championship to help stake the Jayhawks to the first womens national title in school history.













