News at St. Catherine's
Times-Dispatch: St. Catherine's Willa Shannon is named RTD/Sports Backers scholar-athlete of the month
Senior Willa Shannon, a captain for Saints indoor track team, was honored for the month of January.
BY ERIC KOLENICH | Richmond Times-Dispatch Jan 17, 2020
Age: 18
Age: 18
GPA: 4.09
Athletic accomplishments: An indoor track runner, Willa set a school record on Dec. 7 when she ran the 55 hurdles in 8.55, the fifth best time in the state. She also helped St. Catherine’s win the 4x200 and 4x400 relays that day. A week later, she won the 55 hurdles again, helped St. Catherine’s win the 4x200 again, and the relay team finished in 1:46.92, the sixth best time in the state. She’s been named all-state six times and most valuable in the League of Independent Schools twice. She also holds school records in the 300 hurdles and the 200m.
Academic accomplishments: Willa has taken seven AP classes, eight honors classes and has been on the honor roll the past three years. She’s an AP Scholar and a winner of the Wellesley Book Award. This is her second nod as scholar-athlete of the month, and she will run track at Dartmouth next year.
Future major: “Political science.”
Person alive she admires the most: “Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
What she likes most about running at St. Catherine’s: “It’s fun to go to school and be on a team with [my classmates]. It forms unlikely friendships.”
How she prepares for running: “I always put on Tiger Balm. I put it all over my legs. The smell calms me.”
Favorite article of clothing: “Shoes.” She has about 20 pairs.
Favorite fast food restaurant: “Bojangles.”
Favorite item to order there: “Sweet tea.”
The food she likes to cook: “Breakfast. My favorite thing is an egg sandwich.”
More likely to be early or late: “Early.”
More clean or messy: “Clean.”
“Star Wars” or Marvel: “Star Wars.”
Actress who would play her in a movie: “Scarlett Johansson.”
Dream job: “Lawyer.”
First job she wanted as a kid: “Professional athlete.”
When she’s not running or doing school work she’s: “With my friends.” They usually get dinner, shop or workout together.
Favorite book: “I just read ‘Song of Solomon,’ and that’s my current favorite.”
Do aliens exist? “Yes.”
Person she texts the most: “A friend group chat” of eight of her friends.
Runner she admires the most: “Sydney McLaughlin. I saw her when I was little.
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.
