GREENSBORO, N.C. – Jillian Felton of the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women's cross country team will be wrapping up her running career this December.
After transferring from Florida Gulf Coast University last fall, she was looking to complete her final two years of competitive running with a different experience here at UNCG.
Felton will graduate with a degree in Psychology. Her goal is to work with children as a school psychologist or as a teacher.
"Learning about the brain and people; psychology has been a cool avenue to go down because not only did I learn about people, but it also gave me the option for almost anything post-graduation," said Felton.
The native of Crystal River, Florida found it difficult to balance academics and athletics in the beginning.
"It was a learning process. For me, it was important to remember how much I loved the sport and how much I cared about my education. It is easier to work hard at something if you care about it and this was how I encouraged myself to balance it all in the right manner."
"This season was probably my favorite because we got to return to racing normally and travel as a team. I loved being able to run together whether it was a workout at Hamilton Lakes or a long run at Salem Lake."
Felton competed in the Southern Conference Cross Country Championship last semester when athletics returned to action. This year, Felton competed in five of the team's six meets, including running a career-best time at the five-kilometer Louisville Classic clocking in a time of 18:48.3, which was 196th overall.
She also completed the six-kilometer East Carolina University Pirate Invitational with a career-best time of 23:30.3 placing 23rd overall. Felton ran in two SoCon Cross Country Championships as a Spartan.
"My advice to future student-athletes would be to genuinely enjoy your time as a student-athlete. I figured out this season how to let go of the pressure and just have fun with my team. It is important to have a positive outlook on the opportunity in front of you because you get to compete in the sport you love and make many relationships while doing it."
