Harper runs well at NCAA National Championships

Freshman Summer Harper finished 156th at the NCAA National Championships on Saturday in extremely increment running conditions in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The meet, which was hosted by Indiana State, was run under sunny skies, but the area saw a lot of bad storms in the week leading into the meet. With mud and puddles all over the track, it was condensed significantly, pushing Harper back to the fourth row.

“She ran pretty well,” head coach Paul Pilkington said. “It's just so difficult as a freshman going into this meet because you haven't experienced anything quite like it and then to get behind from the get-go is tough.”

Harper never quite caught up from the condensed start, but felt like she learned a lot in her first experience at nationals.

“Kind of a first time thing so I feel good about it because it's kind of a starting point so I can do better next year,” Harper said. “You just have to kind of take it one step at a time and realize that there's only so much you can control. I can't control the other runners or the weather. I can just do the best I can do.”

Harper did the best she could with the running conditions as tough as they were.

“It was kind of fun running through all the puddles,” Harper said, “but it was freezing cold and that slowed my muscle movement down a little bit.”

Harper and the rest of the Weber State cross country team will prepare for the indoor track and field season which begins January 17.

Players Mentioned

Summer Allen

Weber State University Athletics