Rodgers to walk-on at Murray

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

As a cross-country runner Ashly Rodgers knows what it’s like to push through pain, even running with a torn meniscus or dislocated hip, but her next obstacle will be competing at the Divison-I level.

Instead of choosing a smaller school where Rodgers could have stood out more as an athlete, the 2008 Hopkins County Central graduate chose to walk-on with Murray State.

“I like the Division-I,” Rodgers said. “I’m very competitive, and it will just help me work harder and make me better. I love to compete, that’s the biggest part of running that I like.”

Rodgers will be the first female runner from Central to compete at the D-I level in at least 12 years, Lady Storm coach Kent Akin said.

“I’ve known her basically since she was born, and she’s overcome a lot in her career to get to this point,” Akin said. “It’s been amazing to watch her mature.”

After her senior season, Rodgers asked Akin to help her contact the coaches at Murray State. The duo’s close relationship made it easy for Rodgers to request her coach for guidance during the process.

“He’s been there through injuries and knee surgery,” Rodgers said. “I probably spent as much time with him through cross country season, or more, than I did with my own family.”

Once on the Murray State campus, Rodgers interviewed with the Murray State coaches and knew she had found the right program.

“It just clicked,” she said. “The conversation went really smooth. I wasn’t nervous at all going in and sitting down. It reminded me a lot of coach Akin in high school and with my success, how big of a part he was with it. I just saw them taking a lead role in my success and helping me out with that.”

Getting to the point of competing at the D-I level came after a high-school career filled with major injuries though — injuries Rodgers worked through to qualify for state four times.

During her sophomore year, Rodgers ran on a partially torn meniscus. Rodgers admitted she had a lot of pain, but did not know the injury was so severe. She later tore the tissue completely while playing basketball after the cross country season ended.

The following year, injuries continued to find Rodgers when she dislocated her hip multiple times.

“I dislocated my hip three times my junior year in two weeks,” she said. “I dislocated it once at Paducah Tilghman Invitational, but it was funny because I finished running that race and placed top 15 and still got a t-shirt, so we laughed about that. The pain tolerance really kicks in.”

Aware her hip was still out of place, Rodgers opted to run in the All-County meet as well.

“I guess I was sort of afraid if I went to a doctor and he said, ‘Hey your hip is dislocated,’ if they write the waiver that you can’t run, then you can’t,” she said. “I wanted to compete in county so I did it and we won, so it was worth it. I just got it put in at the chiropractor the next week.”

Other runners may have called it quits for the season with such injuries, but Rodgers persevered and showed her gratefulness before each race.

“The last thing I do, there are pictures my mom snaps of me at the line, is I always bow my head and pray,” she said. “I just thank God I’m able to take off and actually be able to run.”

Now, with her high school career behind her and the start of the collegiate season approaching, Rodgers has been preparing all summer with various workouts.

“It’s three times as much work, it’s crazy amounts,” she said. “College, it’s on your own, but they send you something, you’re expected to do it.”

Rodgers wouldn’t have it any other way though.

“It’s what I love to do,” she added. “I’m a runner. It defines me. I couldn’t really imagine not running. “

As a walk-on, Rodgers will compete in three meets before the team’s top seven runners are established.

Although Rodgers has already accomplished so much in her running career, she has one more goal in mind for this season.

“Just being a walk-on and maybe beating out some of the girls that are getting scholarships,” she said. “Just to show I can do it, I am capable of running on that level.”

With a positive attitude and powerful drive, there is little room to doubt Rodgers will achieve her goal.

“She’s a tremendous leader and a tremendous person,” Akin said. “She has a very bright future in whatever she does.”