Running isn’t anything new to Dani Paul. She did it tirelessly on indoor and outdoor tracks, the soccer field and even the basketball court during a fabulous four-year career at Edward Little High School.

But slashing through the woods, up and down hills, maybe even around mud puddles? That was foreign territory when Paul moved 1,000 miles from home to attend Division I High Point University in North Carolina.

What Paul has accomplished in her first month as a college athlete, then, borders upon the amazing.

Paul was named Big South Conference cross country runner of the week for the period ending Sept. 26. Paul finished second in the golden-anniversary Greensboro Invitational last Saturday. Her time of 19 minutes, 22.2 seconds around the 5,000-meter loop trailed only Kallen Weaver of West Liberty University.

Not bad for somebody who never competed in the sport as a high school athlete. Paul was a midfielder last fall on the EL girls’ soccer team.

“We are very excited for Dani,” High Point coach Mike Esposito said in a school news release. “She is very businesslike in her approach to training, and she works hard. She has shown a lot of improvement in practice. It will exciting to watch her continue to progress.”

Paul finished 28th in her only previous individual race, the Big South Preview.

There’s no shortage of championship history on Paul’s middle-distance running resume. She was a two-time Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference champion in the 1,600 meters and shared in several relay state titles.

Last spring, Paul was a key contributor to the Red Eddies’ Class A outdoor state championship team.

She’ll enjoy nearly two more weeks off prior to her next race, the Blue Ridge Open.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Husson University’s field hockey team packs a local punch. Seven tri-county players are on the Eagles’ roster this season, with three of them starting the first four games.

Senior co-captain Jenika Kelley of Livermore Falls, junior Diann Ramsey of Otisfield (Oxford Hills) and sophomore Caroline Bochtler of Turner (Leavitt) have been mainstays on the back line.

They’ve provided the last layer of defense for first-year goalie Kristen Capen of Leeds (Leavitt). Capen has started two games in the cage and played a relief role in the other two, making a total of two dozen saves.

Kait Dingley of Lisbon scored a goal in her lone appearance to date for Husson.

A third Leavitt product, junior defender Bethaany Ames of Turner, also is in the Eagles’ nest along with freshman fullback Kristin Trask of Farmington (Mt. Blue).

SAINTLY START

The Saint Joseph’s College field hockey program has exploded to six wins in its first seven games, averaging nearly six goals per game in those victories.

Two local standouts are senior starters for the Monks. Jaimee Brett of Otisfield (Oxford Hills) made her only goal of the season to date a game-winner. Brett, a midfielder, also has logged an assist.

Multi-sport standout Jillian Kimball of Albany Township (Telstar) also has a goal while shining defensively for St. Joe’s. Kimball is a starting infielder for the softball team in the spring.

NOOR BUSTIN’ LOOSE

One year after kicking off his collegiate cross country career as an All-American, Lewiston’s Mohamed Noor continues to leave the field in his tracks.

Noor, now starring for the Garden City (Kansas) Community College Broncbusters, won the Buffalo Stampede at West Texas A&M University last month. Noor covered the 8-kilometer course in 25:28.

At the Bob Timmons Invitational in Lawrence, Kan., Noor was his team’s top runner, finishing eighth in a time of 19:38.80 for 6,000 meters. Garden City finished second out of eight teams in the event.

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