Mandi Abney is a junior here at Shadow Ridge High School. For her three years at Shadow, Abney has dedicated countless hours to running and training for cross country and has progressively gotten better throughout the years. Abney, however, who now loves the sport, didn’t always feel that way.
Abney said, “I started running cross country freshman year.” She continued, “My older sister ran, so my mom made me do it. And then I ended up loving it.”
Her initial dislike soon turned into a passion, which has led to inspiring and unforgettable memories. After winning state her sophomore year, she explained, “After the race, all of us were dying because we had just raced. But then we got the news that we had just won, so it was really fun.”
She has always loved the bonds and friendships that both track and cross country have brought her. One of her favorite friendships is with her track and now cross country coach, Michael Smith.
Smith said, “It’s been great to see how Mandi has developed from her freshman year to her junior season.” He continued, “She has made all sorts of changes mentally to better herself in cross country and track — choices that haven’t always been the easiest, but she knew they would be what’s best for her. I can’t wait to see what else she works toward for the remainder of this season and her senior year.”
From her freshman to junior year, Abney’s times have improved greatly. She said that during this transition, she started to believe in herself and try her best instead of comparing herself to others.
She has continually gotten better this season, which had a very bumpy start after being injured for the first race of the year.
Abney expressed, “When I got injured, I was super sad thinking my season was gone, but my coaches helped me not think like that. They helped me get better.”
Smith stated, “Mandi demonstrated what being a leader is when she overcame an injury this season.” He continued, “She was mentally down at the start and didn’t think she would be able to compete. However, she overcame those odds and continued to work hard on rehab and strength training because she knew the team needed her. She stayed positive and even encouraged her teammates to keep up their training while she was recovering. Now she is one of our top runners and continues to work hard, showing the underclassmen to do the same.”
Abney has worked hard on and off the course, pushing herself and accomplishing some of her greatest goals — like winning state and going sub 20 in her 5k. She continues to get faster each day, trying her hardest as she pushes through painful races and creates unforgettable memories.
