News at St. Catherine's
Scholar-athlete of the month: St. Catherine's Willa Shannon
BY ERIC KOLENICH | Richmond Times-Dispatch Mar 23, 2019
Age: 17
GPA: 4.05
Athletic accomplishments: Willa, a junior indoor track runner, was named most valuable athlete of the League of Independent Schools meet. She finished first in the 55-meter hurdles, first in the 300-meter dash and second in the 55-meter dash. At the state meet, she won the 55 hurdles with a time of 8.58, a school record. Her 4x200 relay team won the race and set a meet record, and Willa finished second in the 300. St. Catherine’s won its ninth consecutive LIS title and third consecutive state championship.
Academic accomplishments: Willa scored a 1300 on her PSAT. She tutors underprivileged kids for Saturday Academy, and she volunteers for the VCU Health Richmond Marathon. She’s a member of the community service league club at school and soup sisters.
Favorite subject: “History.” This year she’s taking AP U.S. history with Ms. Lehman.
Future major: “Political science or pre-law.”
Three words to describe her: “Determined, focused, fun.”
Dream job: “Political analyst.”
First job she wanted as a kid: “A doctor because of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ ”
Favorite book: “The Book Thief.”
Working to improve: “My hurdle times.”
Best sports memory: “Breaking the 300-meter school record in states last month.” When she was in eighth grade, she watched one of her teammates set that record.
On her playlist: “To warm up, rap; some throwbacks; lately I’ve been into EDM because that pumps me up.”
Most embarrassing thing on her playlist: “Sometimes I warm up to the yodeling boy from Walmart.”
Person alive she admires the most: “LeBron James.”
Favorite thing about running: “The competition and seeing your training pay off.”
Favorite emoji: “The one with the monocle.”
If she could go on any reality show: “American Ninja Warrior.”
If she could travel anywhere in the world: “Croatia.”
Best advice she’s received: “Every time before I run and I’m stressed out, coach [Derrhl] Duncan says, ‘Run your race.’”
If she could have dinner with anyone dead or alive: “LeBron James.”
Favorite game: “Lots of card games, poker.”
If she could be any animal: “Cheetah.”
Her house is burning down and she can take only one thing with her: “My Beats (headphones). I warm up in them.”
GPA: 4.05
Athletic accomplishments: Willa, a junior indoor track runner, was named most valuable athlete of the League of Independent Schools meet. She finished first in the 55-meter hurdles, first in the 300-meter dash and second in the 55-meter dash. At the state meet, she won the 55 hurdles with a time of 8.58, a school record. Her 4x200 relay team won the race and set a meet record, and Willa finished second in the 300. St. Catherine’s won its ninth consecutive LIS title and third consecutive state championship.
Academic accomplishments: Willa scored a 1300 on her PSAT. She tutors underprivileged kids for Saturday Academy, and she volunteers for the VCU Health Richmond Marathon. She’s a member of the community service league club at school and soup sisters.
Favorite subject: “History.” This year she’s taking AP U.S. history with Ms. Lehman.
Future major: “Political science or pre-law.”
Three words to describe her: “Determined, focused, fun.”
Dream job: “Political analyst.”
First job she wanted as a kid: “A doctor because of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ ”
Favorite book: “The Book Thief.”
Working to improve: “My hurdle times.”
Best sports memory: “Breaking the 300-meter school record in states last month.” When she was in eighth grade, she watched one of her teammates set that record.
On her playlist: “To warm up, rap; some throwbacks; lately I’ve been into EDM because that pumps me up.”
Most embarrassing thing on her playlist: “Sometimes I warm up to the yodeling boy from Walmart.”
Person alive she admires the most: “LeBron James.”
Favorite thing about running: “The competition and seeing your training pay off.”
Favorite emoji: “The one with the monocle.”
If she could go on any reality show: “American Ninja Warrior.”
If she could travel anywhere in the world: “Croatia.”
Best advice she’s received: “Every time before I run and I’m stressed out, coach [Derrhl] Duncan says, ‘Run your race.’”
If she could have dinner with anyone dead or alive: “LeBron James.”
Favorite game: “Lots of card games, poker.”
If she could be any animal: “Cheetah.”
Her house is burning down and she can take only one thing with her: “My Beats (headphones). I warm up in them.”
Scholar-athletes of the month are nominated by their coach or athletics director and are chosen by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Richmond Sports Backers. For more information on the program, visit sportsbackers.org/scholarships.
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
