I did not think it would be so hard to write about cross country, what it means to me, and how it has impacted my life. When I started running, I just liked being a long-distance runner for the middle school track team. I never thought that running in middle school and high school would lead to me being where I am today at Otterbein.  By my junior year in high school, I planned on finding a school that would offer me both engineering and cross country. The problem was finding the right college that would fit me…

I only visited two schools with the second one being Otterbein and, after that, I knew it was the school for me.  I never thought it was a risk to apply to only one school because in my mind it was the only one that I could see myself at. Meeting the coaches and some of my future teammates, such as Andrew Bitter, Kira Judd, and Corinne Saul made me feel welcomed and want to be a part of this team.  Going to those recruit day visits made me want to be a Cardinal. I was so glad that I found this school and this school found me.

Now, leaving home to go to college was nerve racking for me because I was a homebody during high school… and never spent a long time away from my family.  In my mind, it was going to be weird going from seeing my family every day to maybe a few times a month.  I was also nervous to be on a team with people I have never met before.  I was shy and quiet, which is not a great combination when you are trying to make new friends.  It did not help that my very first practice with the team did not go so well, where I was questioning my choice to run in college.  It was that bad.  I am, however, so glad I did not quit because I would have missed out on so many things that I am grateful for today. 

All four years, this team has been one of the best things in my life where practice was often the best part of my day.  Starting out though I was not sure exactly what I could offer to the team because I was a pretty average runner and wasn't exactly social.  The good news for me was that there was only one other freshman on campus, Allison Rogiers, so she kind of got stuck with me.  Looking back, I feel so bad because she would try so hard to get me to open up… which eventually worked by spring semester.  (I told you I was shy) That first week was very intense with the upperclassmen listing out their expectations for the year and talking about winning this meet and that meet.  I never had a team that had these expectations before, causing me to feel both scared and excited me at the same time.

I learned that my best strategy with racing was to not think, have fun, and not have a plan.  This was the exact opposite philosophy for everyone else.  They looked at me like I was crazy when I said I didn't have a plan or that my plan was to just have fun.  What can I say, I'm weird.  When the race gets tough, I try not to think about how my legs are tired or that I can't go faster because, if you think like that, then you are already out of the race.  The sure-fire way for me to get out of that mind set would be hearing Coach Ford or Thomas cheering me on, telling me to get the next girl or seeing a teammate up ahead that needs me to be up there with her.

My favorite memory from freshman year was when my parents heard that there was this huge hill on the All-Ohio course in Cedarville.  They told me that they looked around and wondered, where's the hill?  I couldn't blame them because Ohio hills are nothing compared to West Virginia, where I'm from. 

My sophomore and junior year we made it to the NCAA Championships as a team.  This was the big time, where all the practices, workouts, and meets lead up to this moment.  I had wanted to go to this meet ever since I saw Claire Lamb running by herself in Louisville.  The atmosphere was crazy with people everywhere wearing costumes, holding signs, and chanting.  It was amazing!  I was proud that we were able to make it as a team because that had been our goal.  My junior year was probably the most surprising because there was a small percent chance that we were going to make the cut after getting sixth at regionals.  Getting the message from Thomas that we made it was insane!  The trip was even more special because both the men's and women's teams made it together that year.  Nothing prepares you for the National meet because there is a different kind of energy that is not at any other meet you run.  The only thing you can do in those environments is go and be mentally tough, because those are the runners who succeed.

This past season was by far the most different from any other because a huge part of the team graduated, losing core pieces to our program and could never be replaced.  Teammates that I always looked up to and had admired for three years.  Though I was sad that they were gone, I was curious to see how we would do on our own.  It was sad to accept that this is my last season with them which is why I decided that I must make each one count.  It was amazing to see how much the juniors and sophomores improved from previous seasons.  They were crushing their PRs and it felt great to celebrate those moments with them.  I thought about how well the freshmen were doing, and I am excited to follow everyone's progress in the seasons to come.  I could never imagine how this season would turn out, but I think I grew as a runner more this season than any other.  I think I realized that if I want the team to do well than I have to help fill in the spots that Claire Lamb, Heather Sandvik, Katy Foltz, and Erin Simko left open when they graduated. 

To sum up my four years, I was a part of three All-Ohio Championships, three OAC Championships, ran on a team that went to Nationals twice, one time went to Nationals as an individual, and a proud member of an amazing team for four years.   Besides getting faster, cross country has given me more confidence, amazing friends who I can rely on, and coaches that support and care about me.

Lastly, I want to thank my coaches, teammates past and present, and my parents for making these the best four years.  There is just not enough pages and time to talk about all the memories or the person that I became, and I would not trade this experience for anything.  The conversations, long trips, practices, meets, XC camps, and everything else in between will make my time Otterbein something I will never forget!


Allison Currey
Hometown: Parkersburg, W Va.
Major: Systems Engineering
Class: 2020