Golf's Kallie Harrison Redefines Student-Athlete
March 09, 2007 | Women's Golf
By Mike Laninga
ballstatesports.com
In the 2006 fall semester,
Senior golfer Kallie Harrison is applying this motto not only to education, but to athletics as well.
Aside from being the captain of the women's golf team, the lowest returning scorer and holding four team records, Harrison maintains a 4.0 GPA majoring in pre-medicine with a minor in business administration.
She is also in the arduous process of applying to medical school, which began 14 months ago with the dreaded MCAT exam.
Harrison's passion for medicine can be traced back to her high schools days. She enjoyed science classes such as chemistry and biology and began talking to a family friend, who is an M.D., about studying medicine.
Harrison described this family friend as her mentor. He would allow her to job shadow and even view in on surgical procedures. It was here in the surgeries when she figured out she wanted to study medicine, in what she described as a “light bulb moment.”
Out of the 18 medical school applications sent out and five interviews conducted, Harrison has received one offer to attend
“There is a good possibility I will go to
If Harrison decides to attend SLU, she will not be the only
With the golf season beginning March 9,
“I take time out of everyday to do at least one thing for myself," Harrison said. “I love coming to practice everyday and seeing my teammates. They are my best friends”.
Harrison's expectation for the team this spring is to “win as much as possible”. She also expects the squad to display better cohesiveness than they did in the fall season.
“The first few matches will be a good gauge as to where we are at,”
The women's golf team claimed a third-place finish at last year's Mid-American Conference Championships. As for herself, Harrison expects to have fun and enjoy her final season as a Cardinal. She also feels no pressure to perform.
“I have accomplished most of what I wanted to in the fall, although I would like to better the single-round record," said Harrison, who shares the record with former teammate Katie Sundberg with a round of 71.
"There is nothing else you can ask for out of an athlete," said BSU head coach Katherine Mowat. "Any coach, in any sport, at any level would love to have a Kallie Harrison.”
When
“She is so knowledgeable, mature and fun to be around," Mowat said. "I will miss the conversations we have together."
With May commencement just months away, Harrison reflected on what she would miss about
A transfer from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE), Harrison has accomplished more in two years at
Her leadership in the classroom and on the golf course is unparalleled. She has the loftiest of aspirations in operating an entire hospital later in life. Her fun-loving and good-natured personality is infectious.
If there were ever a text book definition of student-athlete, you will see Kallie Harrison's picture right next to it.
On second thought, make that student-athlete "redefined".
Players Mentioned
