Williams continues to lead by example

Published 9:45 pm Tuesday, July 16, 2019

 

Former Lady Warrior Casey Williams is hoping to continue to reach new heights in her third college season.

In her junior season for the Longwood University cross country program, Williams looks to keep improving. Each year she has been at Longwood, she has been able to continue to make significant progress.

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“I’m really excited for this upcoming season,” Williams said. “We have a new assistant coach who was a collegiate runner herself, and we are all excited. Our team is hoping to move up in the Big South, and I’m ready to be back.”

Williams will be coming into her junior season as the captain of the team. She earned the role as a sophomore last year, and it is something she takes seriously. Being one of the top runners on the team, Williams makes sure she is leading by example and is always encouraging her teammates. While she aims to improve herself, she also encourages her teammates to drop their times as well, which helps the team in its rankings in the process.

“I always look to lead by example, because running takes a lot of mental strength, and it helps a lot to see your teammates push themselves when it gets hard,” she said. “My coaches always push me and encourage me to lead by example, because the younger girls are always looking. It can be difficult at times, but every team needs a good leader.”

Last season, Williams ran a personal best 20:42 at the Big South Conference meet. She wants to drop her time into the 19s and has been working hard all summer in preparation to do so. Williams also runs long distance for the track team and is hoping to continue improving there as well.

“I’ve been working hard this summer,” she said. “I really hope it will all pay off. I just have to continue to push myself.”

This season she is looking forward to seeing where Longwood finishes within the conference. She is hopeful Longwood could possibly become Big South champs. Aside from cross country, Williams was also selected to the Longwood All-Academic team. She also made the President’s List with a 4.0 grade point average last semester.

At Nansemond River High School, Williams stood out for four years. During that time, she was a three-year team captain. She qualified for the state meet twice.