Elayna Bahr '20 Recruiting Profile

My name is Elayna Bahr, a 2020 graduate from Winter Springs High School, (WSHS), in Central Florida. I do my best to balance church, family, friends, school, and athletics.  It would be my dream to compete at the Division I level in Women’s Cross-Country and Track while finding that perfect "college fit".

In my time at WSHS, I have participated and received varsity letters in cross-country, track, and weightlifting. I was a regional qualifier in all three sports, and a state medal winner in cross-country and track. In 2016 & 2018, I was named Seminole County’s Cross-Country Runner of the year.  This is the award I am most proud of because it is decided by local coaches and athletic directors based on performance, academics, and sportsmanship. It was a great honor for me to know that competitor coaches and AD's felt that I deserved this award, twice in the last three years.  

It's hard to explain to someone what sets me apart from other student athletes, I can list all my awards and times, but how can you judge if I'm the perfect fit for your program based on a few races?  Handling adversity and my reaction to disappointment may give better insight to my character and give a more clear understanding of who I am.  

Coming off a stellar freshman cross-country season, I started to feel pain during my freshman track season.  Ultimately, I was diagnosed with an avulsion fracture on my pelvis due to rapid growth.  Although I still qualified and placed in the FHSAA state track meet, I was not able to run for over five months.  Once back with limitations on training, I came back strong with decent times, even competing in post-season meets.  Unfortunately, that was not the only hardship I would face. More recently, during my junior year track season, I was diagnosed with mononucleosis.  I was sick, tired, and still had the pressures of school, family, friends, and athletics.  I never gave up- I qualified and placed in the FHSAA state track meet in two events, running a 2:14 800m.  I know how it feels to be the comeback runner and that disappointment is fleeting.  I learned that I have what it takes to fight for success- physically, mentally, and emotionally.  *Not to mention that I maintained a 3.8/4.3 GPA taking all AP and advanced classes.

I love to surf, hang out at the beach, hike, spend time with my friends & family, travel, and I love my dog.  In closing, you should know that I hold myself to the highest of standards in all things- academics, friendships, family-life, and athletics.   So if the question is, "what sets me apart?" , my answer is hope- because I know I have yet to scratch the surface of what I'm capable of.