Date Posted: 5/31/2006

When Ruth Mick was a little girl her mother often encouraged her to go out and play in the dirt.

That fascination with the soil led to her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science which was awarded May 6. But as Mick got older she discovered she liked running on dirt as well, excelling in both cross country and distance running in track.

"I've always loved running," said Mick. "When I was in middle school I played softball and soccer, but the most fun for me was running the bases or running up and down the field in soccer. I couldn't really coordinate my hands, my feet and the equipment. I just liked running around.

"I really like track a lot, but I love cross country. In cross country you are out in the woods and running in nature. That is a huge part of why I like it. Track is more fragmented. It is like a circus at times with so many things going on at one time."

Mick started running in the fourth grade in physical education classes. In the fifth grade her science teacher started a club team and Mick participated in Junior Olympic events.

"I actually wasn't very good when I was younger," said Mick. "I stuck with it and got better and better as I went along.

"I always wanted to keep on taking it to the next level. In high school I knew I wanted to run for a Division I school. That was a goal that I had. It was a matter of sticking with it and training harder and getting better every year." There have been a lot of miles between that shaky start and her college career.

On May 26 Mick became the first member of the Lipscomb University track team to compete in an NCAA Regional when she ran in the 800 meters in Knoxville, Tenn. at the Mideast Regional at the University of Tennessee. Her time of 2:26.43 was not what she wanted but she leaves the program with a number of school records including a 2:15.20 in the 800-meter run, the top time at the 2006 Atlantic Sun Conference Championships; a steeplechase mark of 11:05.80 at the 2006 Vanderbilt Invitational; and a cross country time of 18:04 in the 2005 Atlantic Sun Conference Championships. Her sixth place finish earned her a spot on the 2005 Atlantic Sun All-Conference Team.

For more on Ruth Mick, check out the full story at the link below.

Story courtesy of Lipscomb Athletic Communications

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