Sam Martinez has hit her stride.
Martinez is a former Bowie High School athlete. For the Lady Rabbits, she began her scholastic career playing volleyball, tennis and softball.
But, she fell in love with running and cross country has become her passion.
These days, Martinez is a double major at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, studying both philosophy and Spanish.
This past November, Martinez burst onto the national scene with a 19th-place finish at the 2014 NCAA Division III Championships at Kings Island Golf Center in Mason, Ohio.
Martinez covered the 6-kilometer course in 22 minutes, 17.5 seconds, which was good enough for 19th spot in a field of 275 runners.
Because Martinez placed inside the top-20, she was named an All-American. This marks the first time a Cornell women’s cross country runner has achieved such status.
Not bad since this was the first time Martinez competed at the national meet. This was Cornell’s second highest individual finish ever.
“Sam was not even top-100 in the region two years ago, and now she is top-20 in the nation and an All-American,” Cornell head coach Dan Schofer said. “She has worked hard and earned everything she’s gotten this season.”
This was one of the few occasions in which Martinez was speechless.
“After crossing the finish line at the National meet in Ohio, I didn’t have words to express how I felt,” she said. “That race was just incredible. I don’t remember much, but the start and the finish.”
Martinez remembered coach Schofer yelling at her to stay with the lead pack, and that she was in prime position to do something memorable. Read more in the weekend Bowie News.

Editor’s Note: The Storm Center column is the expressed written views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not The Bowie News.

Cornell College student-athlete Sam Martinez competes for the Rams. (Courtesy photo from Cornell Sports Information/Kerry Kahl)