Senior Editor
Sheena Crawley ’13 pulled another win for the F&M cross-country team, placing 13th in the NCAA National Conference Saturday. By placing 13th, Crawley obtained her sixth All-American title, two for cross-country and four for track and field.
In order to qualify for the National Conference, a runner has to be one of the top seven athletes to finish in the individual’s Regional Conference. Crawley easily beat this standard by being the second person to qualify in her regional conference.
“It was a relief knowing that I qualified for the national race, but I was not overly excited or surprised,” Crawley said.
This nonchalance came from an overall impressive season in which Crawley won three races overall and placed third in conferences, not to mention the encouragement from the people she is close to.
“I feel like all of my supporters have had an equal influence on my [track] career, especially my family, coaches, and friends,” Crawley said.
Although she had all this support, there remained the obvious concerns that accompany an event of such magnitude and importance with 277 participants in last year’s conference and an equally large participation base this year.
“My biggest concern is my apprehension about how the race will play out,” Crawley said. “I worry if something bad will happen or if I will ever get All-American honors again. Nothing is promised in the national race.”
Crawley continued to prepare as she usually does, but she focused especially on her diet and trying to eat healthier than normal to make sure she was in peak physical form for the race.
Going into the race, Crawley was thinking about her history with the track team and what this race would mean for her in her senior year.
“I have been thinking that I need to run the best race of my life because I am a senior and will not be running a cross-country, collegiate race ever again,” Crawley said. “I need to run my race and trust my abilities.”
Crawley achieved her goal of running a great race, placing 13th and obtaining her sixth All-American title.
“I would thank [my supporters] for their continued support in motivating me to become a better runner and help me build my confidence.”
Questions? Email Justin at jkozlosk@fandm.edu.