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July 2, 2007

NORMAN, Okla. --  The Mission Statement of the University of Oklahoma Athletics Department includes the well known credo, "Inspiring champions today and preparing leaders for tomorrow."

When your team racks up 21 straight semesters with a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or better, you are certainly preparing your student athletes for life away from the court.

That has been the case under OU women's basketball head coach Sherri Coale during her 11-year tenure.  The former English teacher, with continual assistance from OU's award winning academic services department, has always emphasized the books on the same level as the basketballs.

"One of my favorite parts of gameday is seeing our former players," said Coale.  "I love to share our success with them and feel their excitement for our program. 

"But that pales in comparison to the pride I have in their personal successes.  We have so many former players who are doing tremendous things in the community and too many times their public story ends on the sports page when they leave the basketball arena.  These ladies should be celebrated for the first class ambassadors of this institution and state that they have become."

With those success stories in mind, SoonerSports.com is beginning a summer feature series that will bring to light the professional ventures of several former Sooner stars:

Former Sooner Stephanie Simon entered the University of Oklahoma women's basketball program in 1999.  As a three year letter winner she is remembered by the Sooner family as a natural leader and hard worker with solid offensive skills.  While at OU she demonstrated her work ethic and leadership on and off the court. 

On the court she was one of Oklahoma's most improved players and established career highs in each statistical category her junior year. 

Off the court, Simon was a political science major who earned Academic All-Big 12 first team honors in 2001-02 and was actively involved in Crimson Club, French Club, Chi Omega Sorority, President's Leadership Class and Presidential International Travel Fellowship.  She was also a six-time Dean's List and Sooner Scholar honoree and a six-time Commissioner's Honor Roll selection. 

Simon graduated in 2003 with a political science degree and a minor in French.  She also graduated with an acceptance letter to OU College of Law.  Simon graduated from OU law in May 2006 and began her career as an attorney. 

After graduation she took a job with Troutman and Sanders, a national law firm with approximately 700 employees and offices all over the world.  Simon resides in Atlanta, Georgia and working in the corporate and securities office of Troutman and Sanders. 

"I really love the firm," said Simon. "When I got the opportunity to work for them, the decision to move here was easy."

Her decision may also have been aided by the fact that now husband and former OU quarterback, Nate Hybl is a Georgia native.  The couple wed in April 2007 making her Stephanie Simon Hybl.

"We really like it here," said Simon.  "But we both miss being around the Big 12.  It is hard to even get Big 12 games here, so that is difficult for us both." 

The new home owners plan to reside in Atlanta for the foreseeable future.

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Other WATN Features...
WATN-Dionnah Jackson
WATN-Shannon Selmon
WATN-Caton Hill