Hannah Barbour ‘12 Recruiting Profile

Personal Statement

Hi!  I am 5’6” 110lbs and am exhilarated about getting to know glorious college coaches from across the nation, and commencing my search for the right fit for me.   Running is one of the most titanic blessings in my life and I learned myriad life lessons from it, gained perpetual, deep relationships, and grown spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally.  Last year I had the wonderful opportunity of getting to be one of three team captains on a team of approximately 110 athletes.  This was one of the most sculpting and crucial experiences I have had so far because I learned to truly put others before myself and put aside any anxieties or nerves that I had in order to help others through warm up and their own mental preparations.  In this role I also strove to radiate positivity and optimism to the team, no matter how I was actually feeling.  Most importantly I realized the monumental joy of being able to really walk alongside someone and help them on the hilly (figuratively and literally) road to success.  I also believe it is crucial to have an iron string of love connecting every member of the team, and it is my joy and goal to try and help establish and strengthen this wherever I go.  I am very willing to work hard and I am more likely to overwork than I am to slack off-running is such a monumental joy to me that I want to do it as much as possible and do anything I can to improve.   There have been numerous times that my coaches have literally had to pull me off the track because I love that thing so much.  What I consider to be the pinnacle of my running success was when our  xc team got state runners up last year, had our top runner be state champ, and had the fourth fastest team average (18:56) in North Carolina history.   Along with this I have been blessed to participate on varsity and in the state meet all three years so far in cross country, indoor, and outdoor track.  Getting 2^nd place in the Footlocker South Regionals Freshman race and having the opportunity to lead for part of the race also ranks among my happiest achievements.   I am looking for a medium-large college in or near North Carolina, due mainly to convenience of location and cost, but am also open to other areas of the country, realizing that there are tons of great schools with their own individualized advantages.  I am also interested in Kansas, because I have family there, and my mother and aunt both attended college at University of Kansas.  Our family definitely has financial need, and this is a large factor in looking for colleges.  I am currently interested in majoring in English or Journalism.  My goals for running in college are to beat all my high school pr’s freshman year and to improve mentally, physically, and spiritually as a runner.  More importantly I want to be able to bond with the team and develop lasting relationships so that the team can grow as one, not just as isolated individuals.  I also want to continue to enjoy and love more each day the greatest sport of all time!