Such an athlete is Los Gatos High School three-sport star Shelby Edwards.

Edwards won team, league, Central Coast Section and state honors as a high school athlete; she earned a scholarship to the University of Oregon, and she claimed team and conference awards at the collegiate level.

Still, when she looks back at her athletic career with the Wildcats, one event stands out above the rest.

"My absolute favorite and most memorable moment of my high school days, both athletically and overall, was winning the state championship in volleyball my senior year," said Edwards. "It was the first in Los Gatos High School history and a very special accomplishment."

For her outstanding accomplishments as a Wildcat, Shelby Edwards will be among the 11 members that make up the second class of inductees in the Athletic Hall of Fame at the high school during ceremonies to be held April 30 at Villa Ragusa in Campbell.

Edwards was one of those rare high school athletes. She played three sports--volleyball, basketball and softball--and won all-league honors in each one.

She started her athletic career early on in life. She participated in both competitive soccer and youth basketball from 1984 to 1988 and played Little League and Senior League softball from 1986 to 1992. She gave club volleyball a try in 1987 and continued playing through her high school years.

Despite her talents in softball and basketball, it was in volleyball where Edwards really left her mark. She played in the Los Gatos program in all four of her high school years, the final two on the varsity. She won all-league league honors for a CCS playoff team as a junior, then helped the Wildcats put it all together a year later.

Edwards, who has since returned to join the high school faculty and the school's volleyball coaching staff, was the team captain of the 1993 girls volleyball team that won CCS, Northern California and state championships. She starred on the court that fall and was recognized for her efforts by being selected to the all-league, all-CCS and all-state teams.

That performance was the highlight of her senior year, but certainly not the end of her accomplishments.

Edwards was the team captain of a CCS playoff team in basketball and won a place on the all-league squad. It was a return trip for the Gatos star, who had been an all-leaguer in her first varsity season the year before.

She finished her senior year in impressive fashion when she was the team captain of the softball team that tied for the league championship. Edwards played well enough to win the league's Most Valuable Player award. A year earlier she had earned all-league honors on a Los Gatos softball team that won a CCS championship.

The school awards she received were impressive. Edwards was honored as the Los Gatos Junior Athlete of the Year in 1993 and then as the Senior Athlete of the Year in 1994. She was also awarded a Los Gatos Lions Club Charlie Wedemeyer Athletic Scholarship and the Los Gatos Little League Ed Balzer Memorial Scholarship.

Edwards decided to play volleyball at the next level and accepted a full scholarship to the University of Oregon. The individual accolades continued to roll in during her four seasons with the Ducks.

She was a scholar athlete three times; she was a three-time selection on the All-Academic Pac-10 honorable mention list; she won awards for mental toughness and positive mental attitude; she was picked as Oregon's Teammate of the Year in 1996 and 1997; and she was named team captain for the Ducks in her senior year.

Her list of individual athletic accomplishments is plentiful and it's impressive. Still, it's the volleyball team's state championship that Edwards recalls with the greatest fondness as she looks back at her high school years.

And that's the mark of a truly great athlete.

Los Gatos High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be held on April 30 at Villa Ragusa in Campbell. Tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner are priced at $90. For ticket information, call the Los Gatos Athletic Association at 408.395.2002.