As a freshman, Christine Walsh would have scoffed at the thought of being a premier hurdler on the indoor track team. A soccer standout as long as she could remember, Walsh took up track for the sole reason of maintaining the speed that set her apart from other soccer players.

“My mom said I had to [run track] to stay in shape for soccer,” Walsh said. “I really didn’t want to do it.”

Now a senior, Walsh is not only an integral part of the girls soccer team, but is one of the school’s best track athletes. Walsh’s success in track came naturally to her.

“My second day [of running track] they asked me to do hurdles and I fell in love with it,” she said.

According to indoor track coach Tom Rogers, Walsh was able to pick up track quickly because of her polished soccer skills along with persistence.

“She’s a very good soccer player,” he said. “She’s got good feet, good speed and pretty good natural endurance as well. And more than anything else, she’s tenacious.”

Next year, Walsh will run track at Middlebury College in Vermont. Middlebury has won a total of 29 Division III National Championships, more than any other team in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Middlebury track and field coach Martin Beatty thinks that Walsh will be able to contribute to the program immediately.

“I found Christine to be a determined young lady who is not just mentally strong, but a little feisty,” Beatty said. “I like that in a competitive athlete.”