Sports community remembers Mari-Rae Sopper twenty-five years after her death

Twenty-five years ago today, Mari-Rae Sopper died on American Airlines Flight 77 while traveling to California to begin a new career as a collegiate gymnastics coach. A former gymnast at Iowa State and a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps, Sopper had resigned from a law career in Washington, D.C., to accept a position at the University of California Santa Barbara. Her flight was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, killing all passengers and crew on board. Colleagues and family members continue to reflect on her dual legacy in law and athletics. Her mother is scheduled to speak at the Military Heritage Museum in Punta Gorda to commemorate the anniversary.

• 12:08 PMYahoo Sports — Remembering Mari-Rae Sopper 25 Years later