Decorated Harding sprinter earns Student Athlete of the Week
'Get out, get up and get busy,' said Rodgers. 'That's what I'm thinking when I'm in the blocks, especially before the gun goes off, just a moment of silence and then it's power, let's go.'
She was on the cross-country team for half a season and also has two varsity letters on the cheer team.
Rodgers was also a captain on the varsity soccer team with two varsity letters. She helped her soccer team advance to the playoffs every season she was on varsity.
Where she truly shines is in track & field with four varsity letters. As a team, she aided the Raiders to a Trumbull County title in her junior season.
'When I was little, I started on the playground racing the boys, and I was always told I was faster than the boys,' said Rodgers. 'So I got on the track — it's peaceful to run, just get out here and compete.'
In 2023, she was also District Champion in the 100m and 200m. Rodgers won the All-American Conference and Trumbull County Championships in the 100m, 200m, and 400m.
The Raider has not advanced to states yet, but said this season she plans to make it in the 200m and 400m. The sprinter has also been a regional finalist in her freshman and sophomore seasons.
'Competition, I love competition, I love competing against other people,' said Rodgers. 'I love the feeling of the burn in my chest when I run. Then also, when I cross the finish line and I PR, I won a big meet or something. I just love that feeling.'
Rodgers had to battle adversity in her junior season with a complete ACL tear at the beginning of the school year, but just three months after the injury, she was back on the track as the county title runner-up. Then, just four months after the injury, she advanced to the district finals.
'An overwhelming feeling of excitement, and I tear up sometimes, but it's just a stand-still moment,' said Rodgers. 'Like, wow, it took a lot to get back here, especially after a big injury.'
Outside of Harding, she is a three-time national qualifier in AAU and has competed in the Junior Olympics from 2021-2023.
Rodgers is involved with many clubs, including Key Club, Our Voices Matter, and National Honor Society. She also holds leadership positions at Harding, including as student council president.
The senior has amassed at least 200 service hours with blood drives, community clean-ups, and working with preschoolers.
She also makes her own programs as she built a summit for teen networking and advocacy while tutoring K-5 at her church and helping kids at the public library. In the summer, she helps kids at Inspiring Minds and organizes church mentoring programs.
'You never know what people go home to …a lot of them are in hard positions, I try to make their days spent with me the best,' said Rodgers. 'When I see that they're having a good time, it definitely like makes me feel fuzzy inside.'
The track star shines in the classroom with a 4.149 GPA as well.
She has not decided where she will be attending college, but she will be running track collegiately. Rodgers also wants to major in biology, pre-physical therapy, to become a pediatric physical therapist.
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