Anne Ralston
Track and Field/Cross Country
1995-96
One of the most versatile athletes on either the men’s or women’s squads, Anne Ralston is the fourth track and field athlete to be honored as “Female Athlete of the Year’, but the first who has been a member of the cross country team as well.
A native of Canton, Ohio, (she attended South High School), she set the SHS mile mark with a clocking of 5:17.
She has had storied collegiate career at Youngstown State, earning 12 total letters: 4 each in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field as well.
A criminal justice major who will complete her coursework this spring for her undergraduate degree, she sports a 3.37 cumulative grade-point average and has served as team captain the past two seasons for the Mid Continent Conference women’s indoor track and field team champions, and the National Academic All America and Mid Con runner up cross country squads.
She earned a perfect 4.00 GPA during the recently completed quarter.
An unselfish runner, she helped the Penguins to the 1996 Mid-Con Indoor title by giving up individual honors and holding back to place in two events (second place in the mile and second place in the 3,000 meters) instead of opting for a chance at one title, subsequently earning 16 team points for YSU titlists.
During the recent outdoor season, she led the Mid-Continent Conference in the weekly statistical rankings report, holding the top spot in the 1,500m (4:44), 3,000m (10:04 and 5,000m (17:46), improving her times nearly two minutes in both the 3,000m and 5,000m since her freshman season, at this year’s Mid-Con Outdoor Championships (held at the UMKC), she came from 80 meters behind to win the 1500m title, placing fourth in the 3,000m and third in the 3,000m, scoring 20 of the team’s 94 points at this year’s championships.
She holds the top times in three events, breaking two distance records that were set by All Ohio runner Becky Rudzik, marks that the YSU coaching staff thought would be around some time. She holds the top mark in the 3,000m (10:06:86), the 5,000m (17:46:92) and the distance medley relay (12:42:51).
