Salute to Seniors: Heather Evans - York HS

What was your most memorable race/moment? My most memorable race is probably Western Maine’s my freshmen year at Falmouth, because I was the first York girl to ever win it, and that was one of the first races where I really dug deep and found another gear. It was such a close race, and I remember wanting to give up so badly, but then I made the decision to win, and my body listened.

Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years? Over the past four years I have had so much competition, each year has been different. Though the class of 2014 has provided the most competition, including Kirstin Sandreuter, Aleta Looker, Madeline Roberts, Laura Broderick, Brittany Bowman, Isabel and Olivia Erickson, Nora Hubbell, Maggie Painter, and many more. Maine girls distance is going to look a lot different next year with the subtraction of all these fabulous runners, but the underclassmen that have been running with us over the years will surely add to our legacy!

What was your greatest accomplishment? My greatest accomplishment was probably breaking my school 3200m record that had been standing for 35 years.

If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school? I would probably start taking running more seriously earlier on. For instance, I didn’t start counting my mileage until Junior year. I would have liked to get to above 40 miles a week sooner in my career, but at the same time I still feel fresh and ready to crank up the mileage in college, so the low mileage in high school seemed to work out!

What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome? The most difficult obstacle was probably my scoliosis and leg length discrepancy, which provided some irritating hip injuries freshmen and sophomore years. But I was able to work around it once I was diagnosed, and now run normally despite the 1/2 inch heel lift in my right sneaker!

What will you miss the most? I will miss my competitors the most by far! Over these past four years I have met so many amazing girls, and have had the pleasure to race with them, grow up with them, and learn with them. I am going to miss Acadian Running Camp as well! So many memories and friendships were created there, OJ is an amazing man for creating this camp and I totally recommend it to everyone!

What advice you would give to younger athletes? I advise younger athletes to keep track of your mileage, always set goals, and make friends along the way; because races, workouts, and practices are more enjoyable with friends.

What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals? My coach Matt Weber has gone above and beyond for me over these past

four years. He has taught me that successes outweigh disappointments, improvement - no matter how small - should be celebrated, and most of all, keep everything in perspective; one bad race shouldn’t dictate the rest of your day, or your

future performances.

What are your college plans? In the fall I will be studying nursing at Saint Anselm College, which is located in Manchester, NH. I will also be running cross country, and outdoor track! I am so excited to bring my running career to another level, and am so excited to begin my journey to become a nurse as well!

Who would you like to say thank you to? I would like to thank all the girls I have raced against this year, and over the last few years. I want to thank Malia and Amanda for making practices fun and for being goofy, you two are going to do AMAZING things in cross country together in the fall! I would also like to thank Derek, OJ, Weber, Hutch, Candace, and my parents. All of these people have helped me in one way or another, and have helped me become who I am as a runner and person.

Is there anything else you'd like to add? Good luck underclassmen! You have some big shoes to fill ;) You will all do fabulous and don’t forget to have fun!!