Faith Owens is looking forward to having a good track season as a senior at McDonald County High School.
Owens missed most of this year's cross country season due to having her gallbladder removed on Aug. 4, 2014.
Owens came back at the end of the cross country season, but naturally was not in shape to compete at the level she is accustomed to.
"I ran like a 21 something for my fastest time," Owens said. "That hurt."
Owens earned all-district honors as a junior with a seventh place finish at the Missouri Class 3 District 6 Cross Country Championships on her way to a 79th place finish at state. But as a senior, Owens finished in 33rd place at the Missouri Class 4 District 6 Cross Country Championships, where the top 30 qualify for sectionals.
Owens did manage a 10th place at the Big 8 Conference Cross County Championships this year to earn a spot on the all-conference second team.
But it was that type effort that impressed Austin Bunn, track and cross country coach at Cottey College in Nevada. Owens recently signed a letter of intent to run both sports at Cottey.
"Faith is the epitome of hard work," Bunn said. "I understand she had a rough spell over the summer before last cross country season, but a champion is defined at their hardest time they have to go through. So to press through and fight through what she did, to do the best she could last cross country season and almost make it out of districts with so much down time was very impressive."
Bunn said Owens' work ethic and her success prior to her surgery makes her a great addition to the program.
"She is going to be a very key and important player for us," Bunn said. "We are going to try to qualify as a team for nationals in the fall at the junior college level. Her personality and work ethic are top-notch."
Owens has been a very valuable member of the Lady Mustang track and cross country teams coached by Bruce and Darbi Stancell.
"Faith has been a joy to coach," said Darbi Stancell. "She is probably one of the most pleasant, hard-working athletes that always has a good attitude that I have ever coached. She is going to be an asset to Cottey. It's the right size and a good fit for her. It's a good academic college where she will get a lot of personalized attention. I am thrilled she is getting to take her running ability to the next level."
Stancell said just as important as her talent is Owens' personality.
"I believe her teammates will love her just like all her teammates at McDonald County have always loved working with her and being around her. She just never has a bad thing to say about others."
Sports on 03/26/2015