A native of Lansdowne, she graduated from Penn Wood High School. As a junior at Penn Wood, she was state outdoor track champion in the 100-meter dash and triple jump and was Delaware County Daily Times Track Athlete of the Year. As a senior, she won the long jump, 60-meter hurdles and 300-yard dash at the indoor state championship track meet, then won four events (100- and 300-meter hurdles, long jump, triple jump) in helping Penn Wood win the 1991 PIAA outdoor team championship. She set meet records in both hurdles races and again was named Daily Times Track Athlete of the Year. She competed as a collegian at the University of Houston. In 1999, she defeated Marion Jones to win the long jump title at the U.S. Track and Field Championship Meet. She qualified for the United States Olympic Team in the long jump in 2000 and finished 11th in the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.