Freshman Avani Flanagan has her best friend to thank when it comes to running track. 

Flanagan said her friend, José, was the one who encouraged her to take up track and cross country in high school. She said the two would play the game “Ghosts in the Graveyard” when they were younger, and it was always the two of them racing each other for the win.

“When (José) mentioned he was going to join the cross country team in high school, I thought maybe I should give it a try as well. Until then I hadn’t been involved in any sports because I was terrified of being bad, but José gave me loads of encouragement, so I credit him for getting me to join the sport,” Flanagan said.

José would always be Flanagan’s biggest cheerleader in high school races, constantly encouraging her to keep pushing and constantly get better. José’s encouragement combined with the coach’s support are what Flanagan said kept her in the sport.

Flanagan said her high school cross country coach, Coach Desteph, saw potential in her even when she was struggling to complete two-and three-mile courses. She said he never stopped working with her, which helped her develop into a successful runner.

Flanagan said she owes her running career to these two men.

“I don’t think I could thank either of these two enough for helping me fall in love with the sport of running,” Flanagan said.

Flanagan spent her freshman year of high school running alongside her best friend until something devastating happened. José died toward the end of Flanagan’s freshman year.

Since then, Flanagan said she has written José’s name on her track spikes, and she dedicates every race to him.

Flanagan has found many encouraging and caring people like José on the Eastern track team. She said she has really found her niche with the freshman runners.

“All the freshmen are super fun to hang out with. There’s lots of different personalities, and the more we hang out together, it’s cool to still be learning things about everyone,” Flanagan said.

Flanagan said she also looks up to upperclassmen like junior Grace Rowan and seniors Riley McInerney and Karson Hahn. She said the three of them are always encouraging and can make her laugh when she’s having a bad day.

While track is sometimes viewed as an individual sport, it is the team that Flanagan said she runs for. She said her ultimate goal for the outdoor season is to score points for the conference team, a feat she did quite reach in the indoor season.

Flanagan qualified for the indoor conference meet but did not do as well as she hoped to. She said she hopes that this time around, she can help her team secure the conference win.

Flanagan has competed in the 1,500-meter run, 5,000-meter run and the steeplechase this season. She has the team’s second-best steeplechase time at 11 minutes, 31 .82 seconds; Flanagan has ran that race just two times this year.

Success and hard work is what Flanagan said it means to be a Panther.

“It means being tough and dedicated to your team, to your sport and to your purpose,” Flanagan said.

Kailtin Cordes can be reached at 581-2812 or krcordes@eiu.edu.