At one point in time, now red-shirt sophomore shooting guard Kate Spradlin didn’t know where she was going to be playing after her high school career was over.
She received some Division III offers to play, but she “knew she wanted to play at this level," referring to playing at the Division I level. Spradlin arrived to Longwood as a walk-on for the Longwood women’s basketball team.
Fast forward a few years, the Blue Ridge native has become not only an integral part of the women’s basketball team, but one of the best runners for the cross country team in her fall debut.
“Cross country team was short runners and they needed a little bit of help,” said Spradlin. “So I told them I would come and help them out.”
Kate ran in two meets, and finished as the top runner in one of them before getting sick and having that season cut short.
On Kate’s success, cross country head coach Catherine Hanson immediately said, “She finished first.”
Spradlin was surprised with her success, saying she was “just trying to catch up” with the rest of the team before she decided on a new goal.
“If I’m gonna run, I might as well win,” she said.
Hanson first worked with Kate when she helped work out the entire women’s basketball team over the summer.
“I condition the women’s basketball players during the summer. The agreement between Coach Reinson and I was that I would have a few of his girls run a few meets, and of course Kate heard about it and Kate being Kate, she wanted to be on board,” said Hanson.
Women’s basketball head coach Bill Reinson added, “Kate is a warrior, you could put her in any sport, and Kate will feel fine.”
Reflecting on her time with the cross country team, Spradlin said, “I really enjoyed it. I loved all the girls, and the coaches. It was a good experience.”
A big difference between the two sports, is how the athlete runs. In basketball, you sprint from beginning to end, but in cross country, pace plays a huge role.
By participating, Spradlin said the lengthy races improved her focus, requiring her to stay mentally engaged for a longer period continuously.
"It’s a lot different than on the basketball court where you stop the game every 30-45 seconds," she said.
To balance both sports, she said the basketball team typically conditioned with cross country 1-2 times per week.
“I just tried to keep up with their girls and find my rhythm and find my time," said the sophomore.
While Spradlin said she loved her entire experience with cross country, she said she leaned on fellow runner Casey Williams the most. The pair "really challenged" each other.
Hanson said the addition of Spradlin's energy helped motivate the entire team.
“They all (the team) fell in love with her and she made practice more intense for the girls that should be running faster,” she said. “As far as a person goes, Kate is probably one of most coachable people I’ve ever worked with.”
Beyond physical fitness, Spradlin said running cross country impacted on her leadership skills.
“I learned a lot of their girls as far as encouragement and a positive attitude that I can bring to our team,” she said.
Spradlin and the rest of the women’s basketball team began their season with a loss on Friday, Nov. 10 at Marshall University. The Lancers next game is also on the road at N.C. Central on Tuesday, Nov. 14.
