On February 1, Senior Anna Quackenbush signed her national letter of intent to St. Francis University.  She will be running track and cross country at the Division l school next fall. 

Quackenbush has always planned on continuing her athletic career into college. However, it was only recently when she realized that track and cross country were the sports with which she wanted to continue her athletic career. 

“I wanted to play softball in college, until last year, that’s when I decided to run,” said Quackenbush. “I joined cross country as a junior, and I was actually doing it while playing field hockey and softball … I quit field hockey and softball once indoor track started,  just to focus on running.” 

When it came to choosing a school, Quackenbush found the perfect fit: St. Francis has an accelerated, five-year physician assistant (PA) program, a  friendly community and great coaches.

“They have really good health science, and also, I really like the coaches and everyone that goes there. It’s about the size that I was looking for,” said Quackenbush. 

Quackenbush’s mom, Suzanne Quackenbush, also believes that St. Francis’ tight-knit community is going to be beneficial to her. 

“[Anna] is very serious; she’s not a partier … it’s a small, little town. It’s not a big city. She can stay focused. She doesn’t want to be in a big school,” said Suzanne Quackenbush. 

In addition to being a great athlete, Quackenbush is a very involved member of the Linganore community. She is the Student Government Association’s (SGA) secretary, National Honors Society’s president and frequent volunteer at various centers around the county. 

“It’s a remarkable legacy of service, and I know that we’re all proud of  her here,” said cross country assistant coach, Brent Ayer. 

In college, Quackenbush plans on doing a five-year masters program, a PA program and double majoring in exercise physiology.