Dedication to running kept Wallace on the go
Cassie Wallace enjoys running, and good thing that she does given her daily routine. The Laurel Highlands senior not only ran cross country and track & field after a long day of classes, she also offered her time to organizations such as the St. Vincent DePaul Society.
Wallace, daughter of William and Diane Wallace, has been selected at the top female student-athlete in the graduating class at Laurel Highlands High School through the Fayette County Student-Athlete Scholarship Program. Sponsored by Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law, the program provides a $500 award to the top male and female student-athlete in each of Fayette County’s seven high schools. A luncheon to honor these 14 student-athletes will be held Sunday, June 8, at 1 p.m. at Uniontown Country Club.
Although a lot of people in today’s society cringe at the thought, Wallace truly enjoys running. She had success in her chosen pursuit, earning All-County honors as a junior and senior in cross country, and in the past three seasons in track & field in the 3,200 relay, 1,600 and 3,200.
“Life’s boring if you don’t have something you love to do,” explained Wallace. “I love running.”
Her dedication to running and her studies combined to allow her the opportunity to continue both at Carnegie Mellon University. She plans to major in business administration and minor in communication design while running cross country and track & field.
Given the number of miles she runs a week, Wallace had a lot of time to ponder lessons she was able to apply to the classroom.
“Running taught me to be patient. If I had a bad race, I realized I wasn’t perfect. I wasn’t a failure,” said Wallace. “I’m so glad I applied myself. It made me happy to do well.”
To no one’s surprise, Wallace also enjoys the academic side of being a scholar-athlete.
“I like school and I desire to do well,” said Wallace, who graduated second in her class. “I’m huge on goals. At the end of the day, I know what makes me happy.”
Her well-balanced day included helping out at the St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store, time that melded right in with her attitude to school and sports.
“It all comes down to hard work. It all pays off in the end. It makes you a better person and a better runner,” said Wallace.
Asked if there was a particular race that she could have a do-over, Wallace mulled it over until one came to mind.
“At last year’s WPIAL track finals, I was in the best shape of my life,” recalled Wallace. “I had a chance to medal. I had a good race to qualify.
“I said to myself ‘This is big time’ and I got nervous. I didn’t run well to show off all the work and the miles. If I think about it, it just works on me.”
Wallace plans to continue running as well as her education after she completes her degree at CMU.
“I’ll probably go back and get my MBA. I hope to keep running and to be competitive in some major races,” said Wallace.
“I’d like to coach, maybe at the Division III level.”