By Mark Bohannon, SAC Media Relations Office

This is the fifth in a series of articles for 2005-06 that will periodically feature student-athletes from the league's member institutions who have distinguished themselves.

Wingate University senior Lindsay Boldt is one of the top cross country runners in the SAC. With the Food Lion SAC Cross Country Championships this weekend, SAC intern Mark Bohannon recently spoke with Lindsay about the upcoming meet and running in general.

Q: Cross Country season is nearly over. Please discuss the upcoming Food Lion SAC Championship as well as the NCAA Division II Regionals, which will be hosted by Wingate College.

Lindsay Boldt has been around running her whole life, as her parents were runners. Lindsay first didn't like the attention she was receiving as an accomplished runner, but time is a great healer. One more thing -- she's very active in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, and has a little sister with whom she stays in close touch. Photo courtesy Wingate University

A: We sat down as a team and collectively said that we want to win the South Atlantic Conference Championship. We know it will be difficult—especially considering the way some of the teams in our conference are running right now—but we are extraordinarily focused at this point in the season. Our team believes that we can also compete at a very high level during the NCAA Regionals as well. Since the Regionals are taking place at Wingate, it gives us extra motivation to perform well. After all, the NCAA Championship is in California and who wouldn’t want to go to California?

Q: How did you get involved in Cross Country?

A: How I got involved in cross country is an interesting story. My parents both ran, along with my older brother. Running has been around me my whole life. My dad got me my first pair of running shoes when I was in 5th grade and signed me up for a local 5k cross country race. It was pouring rain that morning, and I hated to sweat and get dirty. I cried the whole time as I was running because my new shoes were getting dirty. The only thing that got me through was the food at the end of the race. I continued to run road races because my parents were doing them. I began hating to run through the finish line at these races because I didn't like how people would cheer for me, so I would run off to the side instead when I would finish. I decided to run track in middle school because everyone runs track in middle school. My coach there realized I could run forever, so she put me in the mile every meet. I then ran cross country and track in high school. I really started to excel my sophomore year in high school during the cross country season. I had qualified individually for the regional race and would have to finish in the top 15 in order to qualify for the state meet. Throughout the entire race I was crying because I didn't want to qualify for state. I hated the fact that I would have an extra week of practice and have to be interviewed by the newspaper. I ended up being 15th and qualifying for the state meet. My running career is history from then on.

Q: Why did you choose to attend Wingate University?

A: Basically, I got a brochure in the mail and noticed that Wingate had an accredited Athletic Training program. At that time, I knew I wanted to be involved with sports, but had a particular interest in athletic training. While visiting the campus, I had the pleasure of speaking with Cross Country coach, Dr. Dennis Johnson. Coach Johnson told me that I would have the opportunity to run cross country, which also played a big role in my selection of Wingate University.

Q: What do you enjoy most about competing in the South Atlantic Conference?

A: Being a senior, I have competed against the same schools for the past four years. The conference is comprised of only seven other schools so I know what to expect during the course of each race. I am used to our coaches and the coaches of other schools. I also feel extremely comfortable running in the environment provided by the South Atlantic Conference. Since Wingate is a Division II school, running cross country is not as demanding as it is at some other top Division I universities. However, the SAC is still a very competitive and challenging place to run, and it makes for an incredibly enjoyable experience.

Q: I understand that you are a Big Sister for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. Can you tell us what that experience means to you?

A: I absolutely love it! I got my little sister, Olivia, when I was a senior in high school and we have kept in touch ever since. It is a tremendously rewarding experience. Not only I am great friends with Olivia, but I am close to her entire family. I try to help out Olivia and her mom whenever I possibly can. Olivia and her family and I still go out when I come home for Christmas holidays—along with the other visits I make home during the year. I know that we will always be lifelong friends. Olivia really looks up to me because I am in college, and I cannot wait until I get to see Olivia graduate!

Q: You are in your senior year of college at Wingate and are majoring in Sport Management. What do you want to do once you graduate?

A: I would really like to get involved with the marketing aspects of sport. I am interested in promotions, sponsorships, event planning, etc. During my tenure at Wingate, I was fortunate to be involved with a few different organizations that have helped me prepare for life after college. I helped with the setup of a golf tournament and networked with a variety of helpful individuals. I also interned for the ECHL Charlotte Checkers, which was extremely exciting because I am an avid hockey fan. Furthermore, I had a marketing internship with the Rochester Rattlers, a Major League Lacrosse team up in New York. I hope that all of these positive experiences can help me secure a job after I finish my degree at Wingate University.

Q: Has Wingate performed up to the team’s expectations that were set at the beginning of the season?

A: I definitely think we are on the right track to accomplishing all of our goals. We beat Mars Hill this season, which is one of our toughest opponents; however, we lost to Carson-Newman. I believe that losing to Carson-Newman will help us down the road to the conference championship because it’s bad to think that you are on top all of the time. In the end, we would like to get in front of Carson-Newman and Mars Hill and place first in the South Atlantic Conference Championship.

Q: What is your most memorable Cross Country achievement?

A: My most memorable achievement was probably at last year’s Regionals. As an individual, I earned All-Southeast Region Honors, and as a team we went to the National Championships. What made it even more significant and special to me was the fact that we accomplished these goals at our own facility.