Running may not get you away from your problems, but for recently graduated Righetti High School senior Megan Allen, it’s going to take her all the way to the admissions office at Cal State Northridge.
Once there, Allen will participate in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles portion of the Division I college’s track team.
“I’m excited to go to a university,” Allen said. “And, on top of it, to run track, it’s going to be a great experience.”
Allen started running for a team in third grade, but began leaping over hurdles in junior high school. And as a hurdler, she had a leg up on the rest of the competition: her 10 years of experience with Everybody Can Dance studio.
Her ballet background made hurdling easier, she said, but she’s learned track mostly on her own, never having had a coach on the team long enough to
assist her.
Despite a setback from a lack of steady coaching, Allen was recognized with a Northern Santa Barbara County Athletic Roundtable “Athlete of the Week” award and was named Best Female Athlete on the Righetti track team.
Once Allen gets to Northridge, she plans to study biology and psychology in order to pursue a degree in neuropsychology. She also hopes to further her education past a bachelor’s degree, and while she wouldn’t object if offered the chance, she doesn’t think she’ll keep running after her undergraduate work is done.
This article appears in Jul 22-29, 2010.