Stars Runner Julia Hanson Makes School History
Stephens College senior Julia Hanson of Mount Vernon, Iowa, recently made school history by becoming the first cross country runner to medal in its program. When she began competing at the college level last year, Hanson saw the feat as a great challenge. Her high school career had been cut short by knee surgery.

Last year, Hanson joined Stephens’ first cross country team and was the program’s number two runner. In September, she placed 10th in the 5-kilometer race with a time of 22:01 at the Cross Country Gary Stoner Invitational in Fayette, Mo. On Oct. 13, she broke the school cross country record with a time of 20:34 at the UE Invitational in Evansville, Ind. She also finished eighth overall (with a time of 21:19) at the AMC Championships in Fulton, Mo. She will finish her season at the NAIA Region V Championships on Nov. 3 in Lamoni, Iowa.

“Julia is a hard-working student-athlete, who is a very good teammate,” said Dane Pavlovich, Stephens head cross country coach. “She has really dedicated herself to our team and made great strides from last year to this year.”

Hanson will graduate in May with a major in Equestrian Science and a minor in Biology. Her future plans include working for a stable as a riding instructor and trainer, and applying to the AmeriCorps program to work in the area of hippotherapy, which uses equine movement.