PARKER GURNETT
Special to The Leader
KAYLA WELSH | Sports Photographer
On Saturday, Sept. 30, Fredonia will look to race their hearts out in honor of a former Blue Devils cross country runner, Kara Hall.
Hall, in three years as a Fredonia runner, went from a walk-on to a captain.
“She was a hard worker, never giving up, always putting her best foot forward,” said head coach Tom Wilson. “She would not allow her teammates to fail.”
Hall was a 2017 graduate from SUNY Fredonia. She was known by all to be the heart and soul of the team and touched everyone she came in contact with positivity and open arms, according to Wilson.
In 2020, Hall was struck and killed by a car while she was out running near her home in Bergen, N.Y.
She was 25-years-old.
While at Fredonia, Wilson said she was able to become a great leader for the program.
“She knew how to motivate, sometimes by action, [others] by pure speech and challenges,” Wilson said. “Kara spent countless hours having her own team meetings, working with the younger student athletes and her coaches to create the best and most competitive culture possible.”
The motivation and spirit she possessed while leading these teams progressed right into life after graduating, as she took charge of becoming a key alum to the team.
Hall, along with some of her teammates, created the alumni group for the women’s cross country and track and field teams.
On Sept. 30, the women’s and men’s cross country teams will be participating in the Kara Hall Memorial Invite.
This invite is hosted by Fredonia for the second year in a row, in honor of the legacy Hall left behind.
The men’s team will begin their race at 11 a.m. followed by the women’s race directly after at noon.
Currently, there are ten schools signed up to participate in the invite, but Wilson says he is hoping a few more schools sign up before the event.
Before the race begins, there will be a remembrance ceremony hosted by Wilson.
Many of Hall’s former teammates will be in attendance for the ceremony and to cheer on the current Fredonia teams.
Following the conclusion of both the men’s and women’s races, there will be an awards ceremony with some additional aspects in Hall’s honor.
“While I never had the privilege of meeting Kara, it is easy to see how much she meant to everyone that knew her,” Fredonia’s Athletic Director Jerry Fisk said. “Having a race in her memory is a fitting tribute that will sustain her legacy within our cross country programs for years to come. I am proud of Coach Wilson and the teams for such a fitting tribute.”
Come out on Sept. 30 to support your Blue Devils as they host this invite in honor of Kara Hall, who left a forever-lasting legacy on the program.