On Tuesday, March 11, 2014, Quakertown seniors Alex Balla and Stephen Shelly were recognized at a special news conference for signing letters of intent to compete in cross country and track at the collegiate level. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
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Alex Balla – Shippensburg University (Cross Country & Track)
Major: Marketing
Final list of colleges: Shippensburg, IUP, California (Pa.)
Reasons for choosing Shippensburg: “The cross country and track programs have a really solid history. When I visited, I got to meet with one of the marketing professors, and he gave a lot of information about the program itself and how it’s one of only six percent of business schools in the entire world that is accredited by the AACSB, and that’s obviously a good thing when you’re trying to get a job after college, having that accreditation. It’s a blend of athletics, academics and the feeling I got. It was a big school – bigger than other state schools, but it’s small enough that it keeps your feet on the ground.”
What was the progression that led you to running at the collegiate level? “I started thinking about it my sophomore years. I had a jump (in times) from freshman to sophomore year with our changing of the coaches. That’s when I really started to think I could not only make it onto a team but succeed in college.”
Coach Sean Stetler says: “Alex is a guy who ran for the cross country program for four years, a guy that we knew immediately would be running at the collegiate level. He’s been at the top of the league and district for a while now. We just weren’t sure which level he would be running at collegiately. Fortunately, I didn’t really have to convince him, but he chose Shippensburg, which is actually my alma mater. He went on a visit and loved it. He’s a guy who will make an immediate impact on that team at a Division II level, which is pretty awesome.”
About Alex:
Favorite food: Lasagna
Favorite movie: Without Limits
Favorite music: Alternative
Stephen Shelly – Lebanon Valley College (Cross Country/Track)
Major: Actuarial Science
Final list of colleges: Lebanon Valley, Eliabethtown
Reasons for choosing Lebanon Valley: “I just thought the atmosphere was more of a home atmosphere. I just felt more at home.”
What was the progression that led you to running at the collegiate level? “I probably started thinking about it my junior year. I took a little bit of a leap from sophomore to junior year when I started to contribute a little more as a member of the team. That’s when I started thinking about it, and my senior year is when I made my final decision that I definitely wanted to run in college.”
Coach Sean Stetler says: “Stephen is another cross country guy who’s been running for four years. He’s a guy who’s made steady progress year after year after year. He’s probably the hardest worker we’ve had on the team and finally made it to the point his senior year where he was accomplishing some big goals. Definitely, we could tell by the end of his senior year that he was going to be a runner at the collegiate level.”
About Stephen:
Favorite food: Mac ‘n Cheese
Favorite movie: Prefontaine
Favorite music: Alternative
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