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In Her Words HOW CROSS COUNTRY CHANGED MY LIFE

When I first heard about you in middle school, I didn’t care for you at all. I remember telling my dad, “There’s no way I’m running across the country, that’s crazy!” After I learned that my dad didn’t literally mean running from coast to coast, I decided to give you a try. I have never looked back since. Because of you, I have experienced things I never imagined for myself. It’s been ten years since you first became part of my life, and now I can’t imagine my life without you.

Life with you hasn’t always been easy. During my time at the University of Pittsburgh, workouts took on a special level of intensity. They seemed to embody phrases such as ‘pain is weakness leaving the body,’ and ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ There were countless times I sat waist-deep in an ice bath, wondering how on earth you could possibly be good for me.

Despite these tough moments of feeling like a wrung-out towel, I kept showing up to practice, partially because you allowed me to grow close to some of the greatest people I have ever met, and partially because you taught me to love the satisfaction of seeing myself get better every day. When I first experienced you on a collegiate level, I was in an unfamiliar city, surrounded by strangers.

I walked on to the team, unsure if I would ‘fit in’ with such talented athletes. From chatting on morning runs, to pushing each other through lifting sessions, to mercilessly teasing each other in the locker room, you have allowed me to learn that my teammates are not just talented athletes, but amazing people, too.

Each day I spent practicing and competing with my teammates, I knew I was improving myself for future challenges. Because of you, I learned that if I worked hard enough, I can accomplish some amazing things, both on and off the cross-country course. I took this lesson you taught me and applied it to other areas of my life: academics, volunteering, my relationships; and you helped make me a better student, citizen, and friend. As I begin this new chapter of my life, I hope to apply this lesson to my career, too.

Dear Cross Country, you are like a sibling to me: I make sacrifices for you, and sometimes you make my life difficult, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. You have shaped my life for the better, and I hope that future students will get to experience what you have to offer, too.

To read more letters from the NCAA Woman of the Year Top 30 honorees:
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