Not Just a Number
Midland University proved to be the perfect fit for Kerrigan Myers, both in the classroom and on the track.
The senior Psychology major from Galion, Ohio, has found a home at Midland after spending the first three years of her college career at UNL. Now in her second year at Midland, Kerrigan has appreciated being part of a close campus community. “I’ve adjusted very well to Midland. UNL was so big, you felt like you were just a number. But you’re not just a number at Midland.
“I was not doing well mentally, so something needed to change. I have found people to connect with and people who care about how I am doing. I went from not doing very well in the classroom to making the Dean’s list last semester.”
She knew about Midland through her boyfriend, who graduated from Midland, and once she connected with the track and field coaches Dan Gerber and Joel Leindecker, she realized Midland made sense. “I really felt a strong connection with my coaches and they have made my experience feel like home.”
Kerrigan has always felt at home on the track, returning to her first ventures into the sport as a 7th-grader. “I started track because of a friend, and I wasn’t very good that first year. But things started to kick into gear as an 8th-grader, and I have loved it ever since. Track is what I identify with, and it motivates me and keeps me moving forward.”
She has established herself as one of the top hurdlers and pentathletes in the NAIA. She was an All-GPAC performer in the pentathlon, as well as the 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash, during the 2023-24 indoor season and finished fifth in the pentathlon at the NAIA Indoor Nationals. She has already qualified for nationals in the 60 hurdles for this season.
After starting as a Veterinary Science major, Kerrigan shifted gears to Psychology. While she’s unsure where her career will lead her after graduation in May, she knows she will have options. “I love helping people so I would love being someone who can be there listening to them. But I also have a passion for animals (she has two cats, Koda and Kenai), so my end goal might still be to work in a veterinary practice. I’m still trying to figure those things out.”
What she did figure out was that making the move to Midland for two years has put her on the track for success. “I’ve appreciated my time here. I’ve grown as both a person and an athlete, and I love who I am now much more than I did two years ago.”
Kerrigan Myers is a senior Psychology major from Galion, Ohio.
