Heather Hennessy

Heather Hennessy is a children’s book author, inspirational speaker, and former Fox Sports Broadcaster. She was an 800-meter national champion and aspiring Olympic athlete before a spine injury forced her off the track. She is married to J.P. Howell, an American professional baseball pitcher, but is seeking a divorce.

Athletic career

In 2000, at age 17, Heather Hennessy was America’s fastest 800-meter runner, winning the national championship with a record setting time of 2:08.84. She finished the 800-meter race with a time of 2:07:73, finishing second place behind Neisha Bernard-Thomas, an exchange student from Granada. Hennessy is a member of Los Gatos High School Athletic Hall of Fame. She is the only girl to win a national championship in Los Gatos track and field history.[1] Hennessy was top seeded at the Foot Locker Outdoor Championship in North Carolina in 2000.[2]

Hennessy won an athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California. While on the USC track team’s annual training trip in Lake Tahoe in 2000, Hennessy jumped off a 50-foot cliff into the water as part of the team’s traditional celebratory antics. The impact shattered her spine. She was airlifted to a hospital and diagnosed with compression fractures in her neck and back. She spent four months in a body cast. USC honored her scholarship, despite her injury.[3]

In 2014, Hennessy returned to running, completing the Los Angeles Half Marathon to raise awareness of human trafficking. Supporting Run for Hope, Hennessy ran for two Southern California shelters.[4]

Fox Sports broadcaster career

Heather Hennessy was a reporter on Fox Sports, including national programs Fox Major League Baseball, College BCS Ratings, and Final Score Extra.[5] Notable interviews included Francisco Rodriguez and Chipper Jones.[6]

Author

In 2011, Heather Hennessy wrote the children’s book, ‘The Adventures of Dangles’, with an anti-bullying theme, under her married name, Heather Hennessy-Howell.[7][8]

Personal life

Trained with Olympic skater Peggy Fleming, whom she met in Los Gatos when Hennessy was 16.[9]

In 2009, she married J.P. Howell, an American professional baseball pitcher who played for the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays. The two met as freshmen at the University of Southern California.[10][11] Together they founded the nonprofit Discover Your Path Foundation to help kids.[12][13] Hennessy filed for divorce on August 8, 2016 citing irreconcilable differences.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Hennessey runs into Los Gatos Hall of Fame". The Mercury News. 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  2. ↑ "DyeStat HS Track & Field". archive.dyestat.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  3. ↑ "Howell's wife completes feat 14 years in the making". MLB.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  4. ↑ "Howell's wife completes feat 14 years in the making". MLB.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  5. ↑ "Heather Howell". YouTube. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  6. ↑ Heather Howell (2011-03-11), Heather Hennessy Howell and JP Howell Tampa Bay Rays Discover Your Path with Dangles, retrieved 2018-04-11
  7. ↑ "Rays notes: Howell's wife writes book". TBO.com. 2010-10-20. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  8. ↑ Hennessy-Howell, Heather (2010-11-02). Dangles. Place of publication not identified: Tate Publishing. ISBN 9781617393983.
  9. ↑ "Gold Medal Figure Skater Peggy Fleming Almost Killed the Dodgers Season". LAist. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  10. ↑ "J. P. Howell". Playerswiki. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  11. ↑ "Heather's Path – Heather Hennessy". heatherhennessy.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  12. ↑ "The Dodgers 'must re-sign' free agent | Think Blue LA". www.thinkbluela.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  13. ↑ Path, Discover Your. "Dodger's Pitcher, JP Howell And Wife Heather Hennessy Howell, Launched Newly Redesigned Website Discover Your Path". www.ireachcontent.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  14. ↑ "L.A. Dodgers' J.P. Howell -- Wife Calls for Divorce". TMZ. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
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