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Allyson Oram became the first female runner to earn first team All-SoCon honors since 2007
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Oram's Achievements |
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- Holds the school-records in the women's 5K and 6K races |
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- Earned the highest finish for a female since 2007 at the SoCon Championships with a fifth place standing in 2013 |
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- Selected as the SoCon Female Cross Country Runner of the Week ton Oct. 9 |
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- Became the first Elon female to garner first team All-SoCon accolades at the SoCon Championships since 2007 |
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- A four-time All-SoCon performer in cross country and a three-time member in track and field |
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- Has led the Phoenix women in every race she's competed in this season |
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Senior
Allyson Oram prides herself on giving it her all during every race that she has competed in over her four years as a student-athlete for the Elon University cross country and track and field teams. The Marlborough, Mass., native has certainly done that during her senior campaign while adding on leadership responsibilities to her plate as one of the team captains for the women's cross country program.
In 2013, Oram has performed well when it has mattered the most. At the prestigious Greater Louisville Classic on Oct. 5, Oram crossed the line 24
th out of 288 competitors with a time of 17:51.77 in the women's 5K race. She was rewarded for her performance as the Southern Conference's Female Cross Country Runner of the Week on Oct. 9, becoming the first Elon female since 2011 to earn the league's weekly honor. On Oct. 19, at the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet, Oram established a new personal and school-record at the meet with a time of 21:18.34 – 33 seconds faster than her previous personal-best – in the women's 6K race. Later at the 2013 SoCon Cross Country Championships, Oram became the first member of the women's team to earn first team all-league honors since 2007 after finishing fifth at the meet with a time of 17:56.74 and helping the Phoenix women to its second straight SoCon runner-up finish.
"Ally has been instrumental in our cross country and distance program reaching new heights over the past four years," said Elon head cross country coach
Christine Engel. "She has amased 10 All-SoCon awards between cross country and track and field and holds herself to the highest of standards."
Before she competes at the NCAA Southeast Regionals this Friday, Nov. 15, at Charlottesville, Va., Oram answered a few questions about her season and her career at Elon.
At what age did you started running and took it seriously?
"I started running track my eighth grade year and I started running cross country my junior year of high school."
Coming from the New England area, how did you hear about Elon and the cross country program?
"I first heard about Elon from a friend who mentioned how beautiful the school was and that they had Division I sports! I started browsing through the website and everything I read seemed to fit the criteria I was looking for in a school. I got into contact with Coach Engel and the rest is history!"
What did it mean for you being named SoCon Runner of the Week on Oct. 9?
"It was an honor for me to be named as SoCon Female Runner of the Week! I never received this award before so it meant even more to me! This award allowed for my hard work I have put into the past four years to be displayed!"
How do you train for cross country as compared to track and field?
"Training for cross country and track is very similar for me because I run the same distances. I run the 3K, 5K, and 10K in track so I am still reaching the mileage I hit during the cross country season. The only difference is that during cross country season we tend to do workouts and do most of our basic runs on surfaces that are similar to what we will race on. This includes incorporating hills into our runs and running workouts on grassy surfaces."
How did you decide on your current major?
"I am an exercise science major and I chose this major because I want to go to graduate school for occupational therapy and many of the classes required are offered through the exercise science curriculum."
What did it mean to you and the program being the first female runner to earn first team All-SoCon in nearly six years for Elon?
"It meant a lot to me to achieve this honor! I have been working very hard over the past four years so I that I can be a leader for my team. To be able to accomplish this goal I have been working towards for the past four years is a great way to end my cross country experience on a high note!"
--ELON--
