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Lady Harriers Will Miss Their Seniors
by Elizabeth Head
(L-R)Jennifer Rogers, Jenn Wright, Rachel Retallick, Laura Crigger
Women's team at Wingate (2005)- Click photo to enlarge
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The Mars Hill women's cross country team will be losing four members after this year. Laura Crigger, Rachel Retallick, Jennifer Rogers, and Jenn Wright will all be graduating in May. These four women have made a significant impact on the program, and their absence will be felt tremendously by their coaches and teammates, according to Coach Mike Owens.
Like the four seniors on the men's cross country team, these senior women have earned some impressive statistics during their years at Mars Hill. They have beaten 79 Conference teams and 157 Region teams in a row over the last four years. In addition to the numerous Division II teams they have defeated, they have also beaten 31 Division I teams during this time.
Laura Crigger, a biology major from Knoxville, TN, says that being on the cross country team has been the best experience of her college years. She says that she has made lifelong friends that have carried her through the toughest of times, and she considers the girls on the team as close as family. Laura's plans for after graduation include taking a year off from school and hopefully getting a job in the medical field. After a year, she plans to apply to graduate physician's assistant programs.
Rachel Retallick, a biology and chemistry major from Crewe, VA, was the 2005 captain of the women's team. During her four years, she has earned an impressive number of accolades. She was a member of the All-Conference First Team three times and a member of the All-Conference Second team once. She has been on the All-Region Team three times and has been an Academic All American three times as well. She has been the South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athlete three times and was the SAC runner of the year for 2005. Rachel holds three of the top ten 5k times and the second fastest 6k time in school history.
Rachel's plans for next year include taking a year off from school, living in Mars Hill and working in Asheville. She says that running has been an enormous part of her college experience, and that her teammates have become her family.
Jennifer Rogers, a business administration major from Melbourne, Australia, says that her cross country experience has been unforgettable because of her coaches and teammates. "The cross country team dynamics have been great…especially our little senior group. So many different personalities always kept things interesting. They have been really understanding and supportive to me personally as I've struggled with injuries. It's been fun!" Jennifer plans on returning to Australia after graduation, where she will begin working on a master's degree in business in Sydney.
Jenn Wright, a Sports Management major from Murfeesboro, TN, says that her cross country experience was "one of the best things about being at this school." She is hoping that she and her fellow seniors will be able to meet at least once a year and run a race together. Jenn's plans for after graduation include living in Mars Hill over the summer and coaching high school girls' basketball. She will possibly end up working with a professional sports team in management or marketing and already has job offers from the Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Predators.
Coach Mike Owens said that he is extremely proud of this group of senior girls and all of their hard work over the last four years. They have helped to continue the success of Mars Hill's cross country program, and he will miss them greatly.
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