Dawn (Shorts) Stark:
Dawn (Shorts) Stark is the daughter of Connie and the late Bob Hinkle and Ralph Shorts. Born on January 16, 1976, she was the oldest of three children, sister Jody and brother Kevin. She is a 1994 graduate of Loudonville High School and 1998 graduate of Mount Union College. Dawn's work ethic, commitment, and family support contributed to her success in high school and college.
Dawn began running track in seventh grade and quickly took to the sprinting events, where she focused on the 100 meter, 200 meter and 400 meter dashes. During her high school years, she was a 4-year letter winner on the cross country and track and field teams. On the track, she earned Mohican Area Conference (MAC) Champion honors in the 200 meter dash (1992, 1993, and 1994), the 100 meter dash (1993 and 1994) and 400 meter dash (1991). She also set Mohican Area Conference MAC records in 200 meter and 100 meter dashes, and was named the MAC Conference Runner of the Year in 1994.
In each of her high school years, Dawn qualified for the regional track meet in the 200 meter dash (1992, 1993, and 1994), the 100 meter dash (1991, 1993, and 1994) and 400 meter dash (1994) with her earning a berth to the state track and field meet in the 200 meter dash in 1993.
Dawn also set the Loudonville High School record in the 100 meter dash and was the top point earner on the track and field team in 1993 and 1994. However, her favorite memories from her high school track career came from her sister Jody joining her as a teammate during her junior and senior years.
As a 4-year member of the cross country team, Dawn was part of the 1992 Mohican Area Conference team, which also qualified for regional cross country meet that year.
After high school graduation, Dawn attended Mount Union College where she graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Accounting and Business Administration. During her college years, she was a four year letter winner on the women's indoor and outdoor track team where she ran the 400 meter and 200 meter dashes. She was the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) outdoor track champion in the 400 meter dash (1996) and the 1600 meter relay team (1995). She also ran on various indoor and outdoor relay teams that set school records, which stood until 2013. Her college career was highlighted with earning All-American honors as a member of the NCAA National Champion 1600 meter relay team for Division III.
Applying many of the lessons learned from her sports career, Dawn started her career in public accounting and earned her certified public accounting designation in November 1998. She spent the past 15 years of her career at Plante Moran as part of the healthcare assurance group. In 2013, she earned the title of the firm's primary technical specialist for the healthcare industry.
In 2002, Dawn married her husband, Tom. They are the proud parents of Kyle and Tiffany. Dawn is very grateful for all the support over the years from her family, teammates and coaches during her sports career. She wishes to express a special thank-you to her Mom and Step-Dad Bob for all the encouragement and unwavering support and love throughout her life.
Nominator: CONNIE HINKLE