High School Cross Country Teammates Reunited at AU
November 5, 2003

By Sherri Trent, AU Sports Information

The decision of what college to attend for a high school senior can become a choice of miles, miles from home, or for cross country runners, where to log miles and with what team.

This choice split up current Ashland University sophomores Lisa Nell and Erin Stauffer. The two were best friends and cross country teammates at Ashland High School. Two years ago Stauffer decided to head north to Eastern Michigan University, while Nell chose to travel down the road to Ashland University.

Nell was surrounded with a family atmosphere with the AU cross country team and the familiarity of the town she had grown up in while Stauffer struggled with being away from home and in a different cross country program.

During this past summer Nell convinced Stauffer to transfer and attend Ashland University. Stauffer gives the majority of the credit for her being at Ashland to Nell.

“She (Nell) was basically the whole reason I came here,” said Stauffer. “She told me about the team and the coach and that’s what I wanted.”

Stauffer soon fell in love with the team at AU and said the main difference between the team she left at EMU and the one at AU is the atmosphere and team unity.

“Here everyone is about the team and working toward a common goal,” said Stauffer.

Nell, who recently placed 14th at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, believes that this reunion between two former high school teammates has even helped to unite the women’s cross country team as a whole.

“I think it helps to pull everyone in to be a close-knit family,” said Nell. There has even been a spark to her training which Nell feels can lead back to Stauffer.

“I’m training harder now because I have my familiar training partner back,” said Nell.

It wasn’t just the training together that Stauffer missed, she was also lonesome without her friend. For Stauffer, being reunited with Nell has given running a different feeling.

“Running is light and fun again, it’s not work,” said Stauffer.

“It’s a stress relief having her here again every day to talk to on the runs and to have fun with,” Nell added. “Running is enjoyable now, like it used to be.”

When the two of them line up with the rest of the Eagles this Saturday (Nov. 8) for the Great Lakes Regional Championships at Grand Valley State, they know that they will have someone familiar with their past success standing next to them. Both Nell and Stauffer hope this familiarity will help them lead AU to the NCAA Division II national championships.

The Eagles face some of their toughest competition of the season, led by Grand Valley, which is currently ranked third in the nation. The top four teams from the regional championships advance to the national meet.

“I look forward to being the underdog,” said Nell. “I feel our chances are good and we want to make other teams realize that AU is back.”

Stauffer added to Nell’s comments saying, “I’m very excited and I want to help put the seniors in the national championship.”

Maybe, for the AU women’s cross country team, the uniting of two high school teammates will also mean the reuniting of the AU women to the national cross country scene.