Utah's Greatest Athlete

Sports Illustrated’s web site, www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com, Tuesday, included a photo gallery of greatest female athletes, by birth states.

Some were fairly obvious, like Idaho’s Picabo Street.

Utah’s was more difficult. S.I. decided on Jan Bucher, a Salt Lake native, who was an ice skater, then world class skier. She compiled 57 World Cup wins in freestyle skiing and earned four World Cup overall titles.

Listed as “worthy of consideration” was Denise Parker.

I don’t disagree with the choices.

Still, when it comes to Utahns, it’s hard to come up with an accurate list. Not because there haven’t been numerous achievers, but because many were born out of state, such as NCAA ski champ Toril Forland (Norway), WNBA star Natalie Williams (California) and gymnast Missy Marlowe (Belgium).

Fern Gardner, the all-America softball pitcher and later USU and University of Utah coach, came from Deweyville. Parker, the Olympic archer, is from Salt Lake.

Is there anyone else that could be considered as Utah’s greatest female athlete? Why?