Awarded the 2013 Dragon Athlete of the Year by CISD, Courtney Kriegshauser is one of the most decorated Dragons in school history.
By Karlie Hatchett, CISD Communications & Marketing Intern
When this school year came to a close, the Carroll Dragons werebrforced to say their goodbyes to another senior class. This year's included cross-countrybrand track star, Courtney Kriegshauser, one of the most decorated Dragons inbrschool history. With eight University Interscholastic League medals and severalbrdistrict and state titles, Courtney has been a driving force in both sports.
In the 2011–2012 and 2012–2013 school years,brshe led the cross-country team to back-to-back Class 5A championships and alsobrwon two of her own championships in the 1,600-meter. This past year, despitebrthe loss of five seniors, the cross-country team also won the 2012 Nike Cross Nationalsbrrunner-up title. In addition to her medals on the track, Courtney was alsobrawarded the 2013 Dragon Athlete of the Year by Carroll ISD.
The youngest child with two older brothers, Courtneybrlearned from an early age how to be competitive. Soccer was her sport of choicebrin middle school, but after some persuading by her parents and Carroll cross-countryand distance track coach Justin Leonard, Courtney decided to join the cross-countrybrteam. During her freshman year, she secured a spot on the Top 7 Elite travelbrteam, and the rest is history.
“Courtney definitely has natural ability, butbrshe maximizes that through her work,” Justin says. “She does nothing halfway —brshe is all in.” Courtney is not only an excellent athlete, but she's also provenbrher worth as a leader on and off the track.
“She is one of the best leaders I have everbrseen,” Justin adds. “She is vocal, constantly encouraging teammates. No onebrwould outwork her, and she has definitely walked the walk.” In addition to athletics,brCourtney has also been an outstanding leader in her school and community. Shebrwas a member of the CISD Yearbook Staff, National Honor Society, Quill andbrScroll Society and National Charity League, among many others.
“Balance is something that comes quitebrnaturally to her and has probably kept her from burning out in a sport thatbrdemands one- or two-a-day workouts every day of the week,” says LisabrKriegshauser, Courtney's mother. “As her mom, I stand in awe of her every day.brHer life is crazy, but she is always so calm. It is as if Courtney has alwaysbrknown who she is.”
Courtney's motto for the past four years hasbrbeen “they never said it would be easy; they said it would be worth it.” She remindsbrherself of this as well as other motivational quotes and goals by writing thembron her bathroom mirror. According to her mother, they act as a constant reminderbrof where she is going. But perhaps what motivated the Lady Dragon most was whenbrshe saw how her running affected her teammates.
“Originally, I ran because I loved to race,”brCourtney says. “Then, people started telling me how I have inspired them, and Ibrrealized that I had a bigger purpose. This motivated me to work even harder andbrled to later successes.” After spending 10 years at Carroll, Courtney says whatbrshe will miss most are the friendships she has made. She plans to continue herbrrunning career at Vanderbilt University in Nashville on an athletic scholarshipbrstarting in the fall.
Karlie Hatchett is a Carroll ISD Communicationsbrand Marketing department summer intern. She graduated from Fort Worth ChristianbrHigh School in 2010 and is currently a senior at Abilene Christian University.brShe is studying communications with minors in family studies and English andbrplans to graduate in May 2014.