PREP RUNNING: St. Bernard’s Cowie signs on with Birmingham-Southern College

Published 5:43 pm Thursday, December 15, 2016

St. Bernard’s loss is another collegiate program’s gain.

Again.

The latest fleet-footed departure came earlier this month when Katelyn Cowie signed a letter of intent to continue her running career at Birmingham-Southern College. The Lady Saint was joined by family, coach William Calvert and a couple of administrators as she made it official with the proverbial scrawl above the dotted line.

Cowie, who runs both cross country and track, is set to enroll at the NAIA school next fall and couldn’t be happier.

“I feel great about it,” she said. “I visited there and stayed with the team and talked to the coach. I knew it was the school for me after going there. The signing ceremony was just an exhilarating moment for me.”

The St. Bernard senior has had plenty to celebrate during her time with the small-school program.

She helped the Lady Saints secure back-to-back 1A-2A state cross country championships in 2014-15 before rounding out a superb career with a third-place team showing in this year’s outing at Oakville Indian Mounds.

During the spring, she runs anything from the 400-meter to the 3,200-meter and also competes in the javelin and shot put.

That unique versatility could’t have made her a better athlete to coach.

“She’s been a solid performer for us the past four years,” Calvert said. “Anything to help her team score points. She’s got a great work ethic. She’s also an excellent student and a determined competitor. I look forward to following her progress.”

Cowie’s primary focus when she switches to the collegiate level will be the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter runs to go along with her treks across various cross country venues.

Prior to becoming a Panther, however, she hopes to remain in the game and keep training to reach her ultimate peak.

“I just want to stay healthy and not get injured,” said Cowie, who also entertained interest from Troy, Southeastern and other programs. “I’ve been hurt some in the past, but I’d like to be able to get some PRs this spring.” 

Cowie is the second St. Bernard athlete to sign with a four-year college in the past month. Casey Guthery, who won the individual boys crown en route to helping the Saints claim a blue map, inked with Lee University back in November.

For the former, that’s pretty awesome news.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “I’ve been at a great school with great coaches and teammates. I think that’s helped me a lot.”