Megan Schramm was preparing to begin her summer training regimen last year when she suddenly fell ill.

Initially diagnosed with viral meningitis, Schramm’s doctor changed her condition to influenza, but the former Lady Hub runner was under strict orders to avoid any physical activity prior to beginning her freshman cross country season at Webster University. While she admitted the first several practices were difficult, Schramm overcame her health issues and turned in a successful year with the Gorloks, which included a stint with the Webster track and field team.

“It was rough when I started,” she said. “I went in the first couple weeks and I felt like I couldn’t breathe because it was so rough, but I met a really awesome coach who started me off slowly so I could get back into things… I definitely started to see improvement going into track and I felt good again. My coach worked with me the whole time and now I’m starting to see all the improvements from putting in the work when things were tough.”

A cross country and track athlete at Rochelle Township High School who participated in marching band and competed with the Rochelle Rays swim team over the summer, Schramm has enjoyed both the individual and group perks of her collegiate experience. She applied to 10 different schools prior to graduating RTHS, with Webster sitting at the bottom of her list until she visited the campus through a recommendation by one of her family members.

“The only reason it was a thought was because my aunt and my cousin had checked out Webster,” Schramm said. “She said that, since I was looking at Saint Louis University, that I should check out Webster and that I might like it. I went and it just felt like home.”

Currently a biology major at Webster, Schramm said she’s looking to take the pre-med route in hopes of fueling her passion for science. She may be competing at a college level, but she said there are still some similarities between her athletic experience at Webster and her time at RTHS.

“The people in high school have just as much heart for it as the people in college do,” Schramm said. “But in college you really see that drive where people want to him, and you see that out of everybody… It’s awesome because you’ll see some of the really good people who are in line for nationals and they’ll go crazy, but even if they’re not in line for nationals or they’re people like me who’re having fun because it’s something they’ve grown to love… It’s awesome to see.”

Schramm began her freshman track season racing in the 800-meter run, the 1500-meter run and the mile. But her coach approached her toward the end of the season about competing in longer races to score points for her team, and she finished the year in the 5K and the 10K. She said she will return to action for the Gorloks next year.

“I have a lot of mileage to get under my belt this summer,” Schramm said. “It definitely takes a different mindset. With the 800 you need to get more into that sprinter feel, whereas the 10K is more about spacing your energy throughout. But I had a lot of fun with it because I’m one of those people who likes to pace themselves… It just lets itself go.”