The Hornet Tribune

Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Photo By Nicholas Boyd Wendie Gardner poses after practice

Upon entering collegiate level of athletic competition, it usually takes an incoming freshman a year or two to truly develop their talent and ability as an athlete. Try telling that to the fearless freshman Wendie Gardner, a first-year business administration student with a concentration in marketing and a consummate passion for running.
"To me, running cross-country is very relieving," said Gardner. "I always look at it as a challenge, I love the competition."
Gardner, who was elected Ms. Ware Hall for the academic year is a native of Atlanta, locally choosing CAU as her stomping grounds. Although as a freshman, Wendie Gardner has proved to be able to compete with the best, and her actions became evident to some of her fellow teammates. "I think that Wendie had a very good season" said Miles Gaddy, sophomore business management major. "She is a very hard-worker and most definitely deserves this recognition [athlete of the week]."
Christen Clarke, a senior criminal justice major and cross-country comrade of Gardner says "Wendie is very dependable. She will attempt to do something even if she is in doubt. She has a lot of faith in herself." Fellow freshman runner Justin Miller, a business administration major with a concentration in marketing shared the same thoughts as Clarke on the athlete of the week. "Wendie is not scared to take on any challenge. She always stays very humble."
Realistically, Gardner is a short-distance track and field sprinter that decided to branch off into cross-country in order to attempt to improve the performance at CAU. Gardner's presence and unselfishness is greatly appreciated by head coach Pamela Page, who enters her 9th season coaching the speedy Panthers. "Wendie was a blessing for this season. It is extremely rare to find a freshman that has never run at this level before to perform so well" Page added. "She is a sprinter, a short distance runner at heart. I needed Wendie's help so I asked her to participate. She agreed, and then simply took off from there." Coach Page also added "Wendie is a hard-worker. She is not too verbal, but her work speaks for herself. Up to this point, she has never missed a practice and is completely dependable."
The last event of the season for the Panthers was the 2007 SIAC Women's Cross-Country Championship on October 19, 2007. Wendie Gardner helped propel the lady Panthers to a 3rd place tie with Benedict College with 100 points, finishing behind Tuskegee and Albany State University. Gardner completed the race with an impressive time of 7:27.4 per mile, completing the entire grueling 5 K (3.2 mile) course in a meager 23:10.00, earning 9 points for her team. Gardner only finished 4:54 behind the course winner.
"To only be a freshman, Wendie has completed an outstanding season. For a sprinter to take control of cross-country the way she did was amazing" said teammate Brandon Miller, a junior computer science major. "Wendie knows what she needs to do. She leads by example."
With Wendie Gardner, the future of Clark Atlanta University track and field looks incredibly promising.

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