By: Dalton Kimbro
As the pandemic began to change the world in March of 2020, many athletes had no idea that their sports were about to drastically change in the very near future. From masking, to testing and shortened seasons, many Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) athletes had a much different college athletic experience than they expected. “We had to test before each meet and were only allowed to take our masks off during the actual races,” said junior elementary education major and cross country runner Lucy Anthony. Anthony, a native of St. Mary’s Pennsylvania, said that the Alabama heat wasn’t the only thing she had to get used to as her college running career started. “I had a false positive Covid test during my first semester that pushed my training back, and then another positive test my second semester,” said Anthony. Positive tests kept her from practicing with her teammates, causing her to miss out on the college experience she had worked so hard to achieve for her first two years. As things begin to return to normal, with standard season lengths and conference championships returning, Anthony says the return to normalcy has been much easier. “Not having to test and worry about a positive result affecting training has been a big relief this year,” she said. As she reflected over the last few years, from the beginning of the pandemic right before she graduated high school, to her first normal season of her collegiate running career, Anthony said there were positives to her experience with the pandemic. “When the pandemic first began, I was unable to meet with and run with my teammates. I had to learn to be self-dependent and disciplined enough to still go run everyday. I also have an extra year of eligibility, so if I decide to go to graduate school I’ll still be able to run for an extra year,” she said. When asked what advice she would give to any athlete facing adversity and unknowns as she did the last three years, she said to “Always be thankful for the opportunities you have and be present in those moments. When I moved here from St. Mary’s, all of the schools up there were closed down and no one was able to run, so I was thankful to even have the opportunity to run here, even with a shortened season and regular testing.” To learn more about AUM’s cross country program, visit aumathletics.com. The cross country team’s next meet will be Friday Sept. 23 at the University of West Florida.