New West track athlete Grace Fetherstonhaugh ended her high school career with a provincial win in steeplechase, setting her up for her next academic/athletic pursuit: she will be heading off to Oregon State University in the fall, after accepting a full scholarship offer from the school in Corvallis, just south of Portland.
After finishing well in several races last summer, Fetherstonhaugh started getting inquiries from colleges both in Canada and the U.S. to come to their institutions.
She hadn’t considered going away to school, but after travelling and visiting several post-secondary institutions, she settled on Oregon State, a school she felt will benefit both her track ambitions as well as her educational goals.
“The most important thing for me was to go somewhere … I could trust the coach and I liked the team, and where I could get the degree I wanted,” said Fetherstonhaugh, who plans to study kinesiology.
A big part of her decision to go to Oregon State University was because she felt the coach, Louie Quintana, and her current coach at Royal City Track and Field, Sean Dixon, were on the same wavelength.
“[Quintana] has a similar philosophy and view on what goals he has for me and how we’d approach them,” Fetherstonhaugh said, adding she will be able to do the races she wants to do.
The Oregon State coach is also supportive of her trying out for Canadian teams as well even though the seasons might overlap.
“He’s all about the big picture and developing me as an athlete,” Fetherstonhaugh said.
A born-and-bred New Westminster product, Fetherstonhaugh finished her high school track career with a first-place finish in steeplechase and second-place finishes in the 3,000-metre and 1,500-metre at the provincial track meet at Swangard Stadium a week and a half ago.
In addition to support from Royal City Track and Field, she’s grateful to the support from her coach at New Westminster Secondary, Bryan MacMaster, as well.
To support up-and-coming track athletes, Fetherstonhaugh is an assistant coach at Royal City Track and Field, helping out the junior development team of nine-to-12-year-olds.
“It’s great to see young kids liking track,” she said.
