MERRY HILL – Recent Lawrence Academy graduate Kristine Mantione has received a track scholarship to Bellarmine University.

&uot;Cheech&uot;, as she is known to her friends, coaches and teammates, will attend Bellarmine in the fall and plans to run both track and cross country.

Bellarmine University is a small Catholic school in Louisville, Kentucky and might seem far off for a young lady living in Edenton.

However Cheech, who came to Lawrence Academy by way of Long Island, New York and Miami, Florida, is adept at starting over in unfamiliar territory.

Bellarmine’s small size was one of the factors that Mantione found so appealing.

&uot;It’s a really nice school and didn’t seem to big&uot;, said Mantione.

&uot;I applied and they contacted me.

I found out that I could run both indoor and outdoor track there and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.&uot;

Mantione was a two-sport star at Lawrence Academy.

In addition to competing very well in cross country including running a 20:50 5k while coaching and training herself, she was named to the All Roanoke Chowan Soccer Team as a standout midfielder by the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald.

She credits soccer for helping her training as a runner and looks forward to working with a coaching staff.

Cheech isn’t the only one excited about her choosing Bellarmine University to further her education.

Bellarmine cross country coach John Wellerding seems just as excited to be adding Mantione to his squad.

&uot;We are very pleased and excited to have Kristine Mantione joining our Cross Country and Track teams at Bellarmine University,&uot; he said. &uot; Kristine is a very talented athlete who has had much success playing soccer.

&uot;She decided to run Cross Country this past fall and ran very well,&uot; he added.

Mantione graduated with a 3.87 GPA and it is her attitude both on the field and in the classroom that Wellerding finds most appealing.

He said, &uot;Obviously, Kristine has great potential to improve and excel at the collegiate level because she has a good work ethic along with fine moral character and the desire to excel. She is not afraid to face a challenge and push herself to the limit to meet her goal.

&uot;I feel she has the heart, soul and desire to be the best in all aspects of her life,&uot; he added. &uot;Kristine will continue to lead her team by example. She has excelled in the classroom as well. What a great example for our team!

&uot; I’m really proud to have Kristine on our team and have the opportunity to coach her and to see just how good of a runner she can become,&uot; he closed.