Mount Gilead graduate Rebeka Clark (second from left) will compete on the Baldwin Wallace track and field team while attending that university.
Courtesy Photo
After completing her track and field career at Mount Gilead High School this past spring, Rebeka Clark will move on to Baldwin Wallace University, where she plans to compete in both the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump.
Clark, who plans to major in history, was a fan of that school before visiting it, but said that her trip there cemented her choice.
“Baldwin Wallace was a great school initially to look at online, but when I visited there, it really opened up my eyes to see it was a really good school and that’s where I wanted to be,” she said.
With the Indians, Clark advanced to the regional meet in the hurdles both this spring and in 2021. To continue being successful at the next level, she knows she’ll have to work harder.
“I definitely know that it’s going to be a lot more of a commitment than high school and I know I’m going to have to work a lot harder to get to the point where I want to be,” she said.
Part of that work will involve making sure she has the right mentality when approaching her events.
“I honestly think that it’s going to be the mindset mostly,” she said. “Being able to push myself constantly and being able to be the best person I can be.”
Clark is excited to move on from Mount Gilead and experience what college is all about.
“I’m really excited for the change in environment,” she said. “New coaches, new people, new ways to learn, new people to learn from and the different ways I’m going to be able to involve myself.”
However, she added that it won’t be easy to live the community in which she was raised.
“This is the place where I grew up, so it’s going to be really hard to leave the place where my roots are,” she said. “I know it will be a good and new experience for me.”
Rob Hamilton can be reached at 419-946-3010, ext. 1807. Connect with him on Twitter at @SportsMCS
