Bill Text: VA HJR922 | 2017 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Maria Elena Calle.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-2)
Status: (Passed) 2017-02-23 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ922ER) [HJR922 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2017-HJR922-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Maria Elena Calle of Richmond, an alumna of Virginia Commonwealth University, participated in the women's marathon at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro in 2016; and
WHEREAS, a native of Ecuador, Maria Elena Calle came to Richmond in 1996 to attend Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and has lived and worked in the Richmond area since then; and
WHEREAS, as a member of the VCU track and field and cross country teams, Maria Elena Calle represented her university and adopted hometown with dignity at the highest levels of the sport; and
WHEREAS, despite being hit by a car and seriously injured in September 1997, Maria Elena Calle finished eighth nationally in the 1998 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Cross Country Championships, and the following year placed third in the 3,000-meter run in the NCAA Track and Field Championships; and
WHEREAS, Maria Elena Calle earned All-American status six times at VCU in cross country and track and field, was named the 1999 Colonial Athletic Association Cross Country Athlete of the Year and 2000 CAA Track Athlete of the Year, and still holds seven VCU track and cross country records; and
WHEREAS, Maria Elena Calle was inducted into the VCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005 and, as a member of the Richmond Road Runners Club, has continued to inspire others by maintaining a high level of athletic performance; and
WHEREAS, running for her native Ecuador at the age of 41 in the women's marathon at the 2016 Olympic Games, Maria Elena Calle placed 99th among 157 of the world's top female marathoners with a time of 2:48:39; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Maria Elena Calle for her performance at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in 2016; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Maria Elena Calle as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for her exceptional athletic achievements.
