Tuscola distance runner Brooke Turner signed with Liberty last month.
WAYNESVILLE – Brooke Turner wanted to ideally run for a much-bigger college program.
Liberty University (Va.) fit everything that the Tuscola senior wanted in the next four years with lots of miles to come.
“They have aweome facilties,” Turner said.
“I was defineley looking at running at a bigger school. I went back and forth with a lot of them. I prayed about it and (Liberty) was my final decision”
Turner is active with her church (Waynesville’s Calvary Baptist), and so faith also played a big role in her signing with the Flames on May 24.
Her individual personal-record times are as follows — 800-meter run (2:13) and 1,600-meter run (4:59).
Turner placed fourth in the 800-meter run (2 minutes, 15.65 seconds) and the 1,600-meter run (5:01.52) at last month’s NCHSAA 3-A track meet in Greensboro.
She was the Western North Carolina Athletic Conference meet’s co-most valuable performer for track events in lieu of winning both her specialty events.
“You can’t replace the leadership that she has offered, and what her attitude has meant to our program,” Tuscola coach Joey Robinson said.
“It’s going to be hard when that first day of practice rolls around next year and I don’t see her running around.”
Turner was the runner-up at the 2015 WNCAC cross country meet and has a personal-best of 19:26 for 3.1-mile races.
She trains in the offseason with the Asheville-based Fast Twitch Track Club.
(Fast Twitch coach Randy Ashley) deserves all the credit,” Turner said.
“The team (at Tuscola) has meant a lot to me and everyone is very supportive.”
Follow the HS Huddle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hshuddle, Twitter at www.twitter.com/acthshuddle or Instagram at www.instagram.com/high_school_huddle