Longwood University Athletics

In partnership with Skanska, the Longwood Student-Athlete Spotlight series will feature a new Lancer each month. The third edition features Longwood women's cross country runner Casey Williams, a team captain entering her junior season who has led the Lancer pack since her freshman season. A native of Suffolk, Va., she earned a top-50 finish at last year's Big South Championship and went on to compete at the NCAA Southeast Regional.

Casey Williams
Longwood Women's Cross Country
Junior
Suffolk, Va.





What goes through your head when you're on a long run?
When I'm by myself on a long run I don't really think about much. I take the time to just relax and to de-stress. When I'm on long runs with my team, we talk about random things such as what we're going to eat after we finish or our plans for the week. Sometimes, when I have an exam coming up, I do find myself thinking about topics that I've been studying and review them in my head as I'm running.

Do you listen to music when you run? 
I have a big EDM playlist that i listen to. It has a lot of remixes of popular songs and some of my favorite artists like Jess Glynn, Dua Lipa, and Anne-Marie. It's all upbeat music that gets me pumped up and excited!

What's something about cross country that most people don't know?
Something about cross country that most people don't know is that it is an individual and a team sport. You score for your team based on what spot you finish, but it's all based on how you run individually. Also, you want to score the fewest points instead of other sports where you want the most.
 
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Time travel. It would be super cool to be able to go back in time and see things that I've learned over the years in history class or from my parents. Also, being able to go into the future to see what it's like and how things have advanced would be super fun too!
 
What's one sport you've always wanted to try?
I've tried a lot of sports over the years, but I've never tried swimming. Swimming is an amazing sport, and I would love to try it one day. It's not as taxing on the body as running, so I could do it when I'm older and worn out from running.
 
If you won the lottery, what would be your first purchase?
My first purchase would be a trip to Bora Bora for my mom and I to go on. We've always dreamed of getting an over-water bungalow and seeing the beautiful island. It's a super-expensive destination to visit, so hopefully I will win the lottery one day.

What has been your favorite or most interesting class at Longwood? 
My favorite class at Longwood was Math 301 with Dr. Lunsford. It was a very challenging class, but Dr. Lunsford made it fun. All of our reports were like putting together a puzzle, and I loved seeing how statistics is used in the real world.
 
What are your plans for after graduation?
I'm not sure on a specific plan after graduation, but right now I want to work for a manufacturer in supply chain management. The organization and planning that goes into making sure a product is produced in an ethical way and is brought to the US is something that I find very fun and interesting.
 
What's on your bucket list?
On my bucket list is meet the Kardashians, travel to all seven continents (I have 3 so far), and run a full marathon.

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