Olympic high jumper and NCAA champion, Paula Girven, passed away on October 17 at the age of 62 after a battle with cancer, her family has confirmed according to TeamUSA.org. Girven was one of the best track athletes in Virginia state history, notably still holding the state record for girls’ high jump. She established an Olympic track legacy at Gar-Field High School, which went on to produce Olympic medalists in Benita Fitzgerald Mosley and Sheena Tosta. Girven went on to become an indoor and outdoor national champion at the University of Maryland, making the school’s athletic hall of fame in 1999. Girven set school records in the high jump (6’2) and the 55-meter hurdles (7.97) and won the indoor and outdoor NCAA High Jump Championship. Girven was the first African-American woman to receive an athletic scholarship to the University of Maryland. It was soon after graduating from Gar-Field that she qualified for the Olympic Games Montreal 1976. As an 18-year-old, she automatically qualified with a personal best of 1.86 meters at the trials in Eugene, Oregon. In Montreal, Girven placed 18th. She qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team as well but didn’t get to compete as a result of the international Olympic boycott. Girven retired from competition in 1981, later becoming a personal trainer.