YORK, PA - Typically most seniors have to deal with many stresses during their last semesters at college. Making sure they have taken all the classes they need, preparing their resumes, and prepping for interviews are just several of the issues that college seniors must face. However, York College senior women’s lacrosse player Megan Foy (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) added one more stress to her list: running a half marathon. To Megan and those who know her, they would say the half-marathon was an outlet more than anything.

“She is a crazy runner, she’s insane” junior teammate Brittany Geraghty (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) said of Foy. “Meg has a natural drive. She’s very influential and the spirit of our team.”

Foy competed in the half-marathon event of the Philadelphia Marathon on November 22. It was Foy’s first ever long-distance competition and she was competing in honor of high school lacrosse coach, Mrs. Kathy Leighty, who passed away.

“I have always been running, whether it be cross country or track in high school,” Foy said. “I would consider myself a fighter. I don’t like to accept limitations and I try to prove people wrong when they say I can’t accomplish something.”

York College head women’s lacrosse coach Jen Dragoni felt the same way about her senior captain.

“Meg always gives 100% or more,” Dragoni stated. “She never settles for anything less than her best.”

Dragoni competed in her own distance event earlier this year as she participated in The Nation’s Triathlon in Washington, D.C. With her background in distance training, Dragoni provided Foy with some simple yet valuable advice.

“I just told her to keep herself hydrated and to get energy gu. That is very important for long races” Dragoni explained. “Fitness is a stress relief for Meg, she is always looking for the next challenge and it’s a good test for her. It doesn’t surprise me at all that she is running.”

After logging plenty of miles, hours of training, and gallons of sweat, it was finally time for race day. On the morning of November 22, Foy had to wake up at 3:00 a.m. Her high school coach’s husband, John Leighty, picked her up and they were on the road by 3:45 a.m.

“I slept on the way down, so I can’t tell you much about the ride,” Foy laughed.

They arrived in Philadelphia by 5:30 a.m. and Foy began to prepare for the race.

“I received my tag for how the time was kept and my number. I stretched and finally I got changed” Foy explained. “We started by the Art Museum and while we were in the city, I didn’t feel the fatigue because there was so many people cheering and watching. By mile nine though, when we were on the outskirts of the city, I started to feel the fatigue.”

Out of over 7,000 competitors, Megan finished the half in 1:42:21, placing her 24th in her age division and 535th overall.

“If you want something, you need to go get it,” Foy said. “I learned that I was a lot tougher mentally than I thought I was.”

Foy will be graduating this spring with her degree in psychology and wants to pursue her master’s in sport psychology. Ultimately, Foy wants to have a career in coaching college lacrosse.

“I would love to coach at York,” Foy quipped when asked about coaching her soon-to-be alma mater.  “Just not until this year’s freshmen class graduated. It would be too weird going from their teammate to their coach.”

Before that however, Foy’s next challenge will be leading a young Spartan squad onto the lacrosse field this spring. York officially opens their 2010 campaign on February 20, as the Green and White host Montclair St. in a 1:00 p.m. tilt.

Feature written by Josh Argo - York College sports information student-intern