As another cross country season begins, so does another year of recruitment for the sport. As senior cross country member Annie Falor talked about the arrival of two recruits for a weekend visit, she fondly remembered her visit to the campus as a high school senior.
“When I came here for my visit, I was in complete awe of the campus and the members of the cross country team,” Falor said. “I was completely overwhelmed.”
Several universities recruited the Flagstaff, Ariz. native heavily during her senior year of high school.
With a high school career as successful as hers, it was no wonder women’s cross country coach Al Schmidt had Falor on his radar.
Also, Falor expessed her interest and desire to be a member of the MSU cross country team to Schmidt.
“I wanted to be a part of the Southeastern Conference,” Falor said. “I felt very welcome on my recruiting visit, and I loved the Mississippi State spirit. I felt like I would benefit in the long run if I came here.”
Falor left the mountainous terrain of Flagstaff and signed with Mississippi State.
Four years later, Falor has taken on the role of leader for the women’s cross country squad.
As one of only three seniors on the team, she embraces the role of leader and strives to instill unity to all members of the squad.
“I feel that unity is the biggest strength we have on this team,” Falor said. “All of the girls are so close, and we support each other a lot.”
Through the support of each other, Falor said the squad has improved during her tenure on the team. They have also learned the importance of setting goals in order for the team to reach the next plateau.
“At the beginning of the year, we have a goal-setting party,” she said. “We’ve improved year after year because of those goals, and right now we’re on the level of Kentucky, who is a good team. Now I feel like we are within range of Florida and other powerhouse schools.”
As this season started, Falor made it a personal goal to be a great leader for the team.
“I want to help the younger girls on the team find their place and to do well,” she said. “Part of doing that and being a leader is bringing my best attitude to practice every day.”
Falor’s upbeat attitude is just one part of her leadership abilities that Schmidt likes.
“We expect our juniors and seniors to have the responsibility to lead the way in all activities for the team,” Schmidt said. “Team-building is a critical part of an SEC caliber program, and Annie helps bring our team together.”
Since there are five freshmen on this season’s squad, Falor’s leadership ability is valued even more. Falor said she was impressed with the team’s performance at the season-opening Sewanee Invitational.
“Our freshmen did really well at Sewanee,” she said. “Our top two runners at that meet were freshmen. All of our freshmen have been consistent, and their contribution has been exciting to see.”
Falor finished fifth at the Sewanee Invitational, and she and Schmidt have high expectations for the rest of the season.
“Annie is a great leader for our team,” Schmidt said. “I’d put her leadership capabilities up against anyone we’ve had in the past, and we have had some great leaders through the years. Having Annie on our team makes my job a lot easier.