Heather (Hoyle) Sams – Hoyle was an All-American during her time at Southern where she was a sprinter for the women's track and field team. She was part of a third-place 4x100m relay team at the 1999 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, running the anchor leg of the event.
Hoyle was also a national qualifier in 1998 in the outdoor championships in three different events (100m, 200m and 4x100m relay), while qualifying for the 1997, 1998, and 1999 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in the 100m and 200m. An All-MIAA honoree in each of the four years she competed at Southern, Hoyle was also on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll in each of those seasons. She earned Academic All-American honors three separate times, taking home first-team honors as a senior, while earning second team honors as a junior and honorable mention as a sophomore. She is the school record holder in the indoor 55m dash, as well as the outdoor 4x100m relay.
Upon graduating from the honors program at Southern in 1999 with a degree in pre-med (biology), Hoyle went on to the University of Oklahoma where she earned her masters degree in allied health. She currently serves as a physician's assistant at an asthma and alergy clinic in Bentonville, Ark., where she is married to her husband Ty. The couple has three children, Reagan, Reese and Rylan.