By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— Cross-country competitor Mary Grace Strozier, ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 1 in 6A, recently committed to Samford University after she graduates from Pelham High School in May.

Strozier has been running for Pelham’s varsity cross-country team for six years, since she was in seventh grade. Head coach Marty Springfield said Strozier has always been an asset to the team.

“She’s very tenacious. She’s always been a great competitor,” he said. “She’s been competing with us at the varsity level since she was in seventh grade. Even back then she was tiny, (but) she was still aggressive. She’s always been a great competitor.”

The defending state champion for the 6A division has an impressive time of 18:07 in the 5K. In track, she has run the two-mile race in 11:03 and the mile in 4:53.

Strozier is following in the footsteps of her mother, who ran for Samford when she was in school. Strozier said her mother is part of the reason she got into running in the first place.

“I’ve always just loved it. Growing up I thought it was fun,” she said. “I love the feeling of accomplishment, getting better and faster times.”

In addition to her mother being an alumnus of the university, Strozier said she likes the small student to teacher ratio and the small family-type team at Samford.

As a leader on the team, Springfield said Strozier will be missed next year, but he is looking forward to seeing what she can do in the future.

“This is her sixth year with us,” Springfield said. “For her to have the opportunity to go to a place she really likes and hopefully have a great future is exciting.”

For now, Strozier will continue to compete with the Lady Panthers in both cross-country and track. She said she hopes to improve her times and make the most of her senior year.

“I just want to make the most of it and bond with the team as much as I can,” she said.