Miraleste Jumper Aiming at New Heights : Father’s Memory Inspires Marilyn Cragin in Bids for CIF Title, College

As a high jumper, Marilyn Cragin of Miraleste High has overcome heights to become one of the top track and field athletes in California.

But it is off the track where the brainy senior recently faced the biggest hurdle in her life.

Cragin, who will compete in the CIF State Track Championships on Friday and Saturday at Cerritos College, is also an accomplished volleyball player. Her skills as a middle blocker earned her a scholarship to Notre Dame next fall.

It was on the volleyball court where Cragin, while playing in a tournament in Las Vegas last February, lost her father.

Pat Cragin, principal at Fleming Junior High in Lomita and former assistant principal at Banning High, was watching Marilyn from the stands when he suffered a fatal heart attack. He died in an ambulance en route to a hospital.

Marilyn has used the memory of her father as a source of inspiration in volleyball and track.

“He’s the biggest inspiration I could ever have,” said Marilyn, an articulate 18-year-old who is co-holder of the Miraleste girls high jump record with a mark of 5 feet, 9 inches. “I think about him a lot and he inspires me.

“He had a heart attack about nine years ago,” she added, “and since then he’d been living every day to the fullest. He spent a lot of time with the family and did a lot of traveling.

“When he was in the ambulance, he asked how the team was doing. That’s just the type of guy he was.”

Marilyn, who also plays for the South Bay Volleyball Club, recalls the night before her father’s death when the club team was in a tournament in Las Vegas:

“He took the team to the casinos. And they (her teammates) got to know him. They were telling me what a nice father I had, so it hit the team hard.”

Marilyn said her teammates were so shaken that they considered quitting the tournament.

“They questioned whether we should continue playing after he died,” she said. “But I told them that he would have wanted us to play.”

Marilyn and her teammates on the South Bay team have dedicated their season to Pat Cragin.

“We have his name inside a heart on all of our shirts,” she said. “The whole club dedicated the season to him.”

Despite the loss of her father, Marilyn has continued to jump well, although she says volleyball has become her top priority.

“I think I have concentrated a little less this year because of volleyball,” said Marilyn, who qualified for the state championships for the third time with a jump of 5-4 at the Southern Section Masters Meet last Friday. “But I know I am a lot stronger because I had a strong year in volleyball.

“This week I took off volleyball and I’m just concentrating on jumping.”

Marilyn finished fifth in the state as a sophomore and took third last year. She tied the Miraleste record last year and will try to clear 5-9 at the state meet in the final competition of her prep career.

She said her experience in big meets gives her a slight edge over her competition.

“I don’t get nervous before a meet,” she said. “I see that as a difference between me and other girls. I’ve been there before and I know what’s going on out there.”

Marilyn will not be able to jump in college because Notre Dame does not have a women’s track and field team.

But she is not overly concerned.

“I wanted to get a volleyball scholarship,” she said. “When I took my trip to Notre Dame, I talked to the coach and she said I wouldn’t have time to jump because they play all year long.

“So no matter where I went, I probably wouldn’t jump.”

But she may return to jumping after college.

“Everybody tells me to keep it (jumping) open for later. You can jump at a later age, but volleyball is harder on your body.

“You can stay in your prime for a long time as a jumper.”

Marilyn has been able to stay in her prime for three years, according to Miraleste Coach Bill Maynard, who points to her ability to jump consistently.

“We’ve always managed to have excellent jumpers here,” said Maynard. “Maybe the Hill is blessed with high jumpers on this side. But Marilyn is one of the most consistent I’ve ever had. She enjoys anything that takes energy and work. She even has tried to jump when injured.”

She has a grade-point average of 3.4 and chose Notre Dame because of its rigorous academics.

Her mother is a counselor at Narbonne High.

While making the decision to attend Notre Dame, Marilyn said she had doubts about her ability to succeed academically.

But again, she turned to her father.

“When I was looking to Notre Dame, I had doubts about whether I could handle the academics, but he always told me I could make it.”

She’s made it through one of life’s crushing realities.

Making it in college should be a breeze.