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Freshman Sprinter Makes a Mark of Her Own
by Elizabeth Head
Tandra Landers
Landers (far right) with Sarah Brandenberger, Peaches Little & Malaree Wallace on the 4 X 100 meter relay team - indoor season
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While her brother Nick is considered by many to be the fastest guy at Mars Hill, Tandra Landers has begun, in her freshman year, to make a similar name for herself.
She has already had a significant impact on Mars Hill's track team, specializing in the 55, 100, and 200-meter dashes. She also runs the 4x100 meter relay, although she said this is her least favorite event.
Tandra began her running career as a freshman in high school, where she and Nick were also teammates. "High school provided a great running experience," she says. She was a sprinter on Monroe (Georgia) Area High School's track team. This was a benefit in itself, as Monroe has a long standing history of producing talented sprinters; the women's team won the regional championship seven years in a row.
During her high school campaign, Tandra became the region champion in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. She also qualified for the state meet three of her four years, an impressive individual accomplishment.
Despite her individual success, she says that her fondest memories of high school track were trips with teammates. She said that her favorite experience was traveling to Beaufort, South Carolina for a track meet. "We ended up getting in trouble and having to run outside around the hotel for punishment, but it was a lot of fun."
As her high school days began to come to a close, Tandra began an impressive exploration of colleges. In search of top quality track and academic programs, she looked at Georgia Southern University, Georgia State University, Florida A&M, and Florida State University.
She eventually decided on Mars Hill because she liked the environment and the atmosphere. She says, "it was completely different from home." She said Nick was somewhat influential in this decision because he called home often and told her about the positive experiences he was having.
Not only was she highly recruited for Mars Hill's track program, she was also awarded the prestigious Grayson scholarship for academic achievement, leadership, and community involvement. She is majoring in business administration, although her other interests include fashion and computer science. She also joined the step team this year.
She says that her goals for track over the next three years include breaking the school records in each of her events. She also hopes to be on a team with unity and just have a lot of fun. Tandra feels that certain elements of the track team will improve with time, such as training and meet selection, and she feels that it will continue to become "a great program to be a part of."
Tandra says that her relationship with Nick has only improved since she has joined him at Mars Hill. They still have sibling disagreements, but they are solved more quickly than in previous years. Although the only times she usually sees him are in the cafeteria and at track practice, "It's great having him so close. He's a lot of fun and always keeps everyone laughing. He's everything a brother should be."
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