Sports

Cross Country: Conner sisters thriving for UM

By Dayna Margarita

Posted on Sept. 28, 2009, at 2:23 a.m.

Allie Conner, a third-year social work major, and Corey Conner, a second-year nursing major, are both runners on the University of Maine cross country and track teams. But they also have something else in common—they are sisters.

They attended North Middlesex Regional High School in Townsend, Massachusetts. Both were running standouts in high school.

Allie, a year older than Corey, chose UMaine because she felt it was the perfect distance away from home, where she could get a chance to run.

“I wanted to be pushed to perform better and to meet new people,” Allie said.

Corey, who learned a lot about UMaine from Allie, decided to join Allie when she applied and was accepted.

“I pretty much chose UMaine because Allie was here,” Corey said. “I originally didn’t want to come here because of how far away it is from home, and how cold it can get here in the winter. But I knew that if I was going to go anywhere far, Allie would have to be there. I’m a bit of a homebody, so having her around provides me with that extra cushion of safety, I guess.”

It seems Corey has found her match. This past Friday, she won the dual meet against the University of New Hampshire here at UMaine with a time of 17:35, about 20 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. A few weeks prior, she placed second at the America East Pre-race at the University of Vermont, with a time of 18:25. There is no doubt that Corey has found success at UMaine.

Allie has also done well. She placed seventh for the Black Bears with a time of 18:48, and 11th at the America East Pre-race with a time 19:13.

The sisters say they really help each other running-wise in the summer.

“In the summer we pretty much run together,” Corey said. “It’s nice to have someone to run with so we can talk to each other. It makes the run more enjoyable. Summer training can be really tough sometimes, so it’s nice to have someone to motivate you when you don’t want to go out for the run or do the workout.”

“Corey and I sometimes have a lot to talk about on our runs, but sometimes we can be completely quiet the entire time,” Allie said. “Either way, it’s good to have someone to push me and to be there for me when I need to get my workouts done.”

Corey says if it wasn’t for Allie, she probably would not have become a runner.

“I started running in middle school basically because Allie did,” says Corey. “I saw her running in a few races when she was in sixth grade, and I was in fifth. I decided I wanted to give it a try too, so I joined the team so I could run with Allie.”

Allie started running in the fourth grade and found the competition against the boys was the most interesting.

“We had a timed mile in gym class, and I loved beating all the boys. We ran with the boys all the way through eighth grade, and I loved the competition. I liked proving to the boys that the girls could be faster.”

Besides running, Corey enjoys snowboarding and sight-seeing. Allie enjoys playing basketball and soccer. Allie is thinking about either graduate school, the Peace Corps or finding a job in social work right after college. Corey plans on attending graduate school and getting her masters degree in nursing.

As far as their future in running, they are both very excited for the upcoming Murray Keating Invitational this coming Saturday, a large cross-country meet held every year here at UMaine.

“I hope our team will be in contention for second,” says Allie. “Boston College is coming, and they have a very talented team. However, I find that the playing field is pretty even after that. I enjoy running with Corey — she really pushes me to do better. I usually say something to her about 400 meters into the race to pump her up get her to the top. She is having a great year and I would like to see her do exceptionally well.”

Corey also says that Allie is “a little piece of home.”

“She is both my sister and my bestfriend rolled into one. Anything I need or have to talk about, I pretty much always go to her.”

Running has brought these two sisters close together. It seems that running is not just a sport but a bonding experience as well.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 28th, 2009, 2:23 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.