Freedom senior cross country and track & field athlete Shannon Connelly thought she was set to continue her running career at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. until last week.

“At first I was for sure going there because I loved it there, but then, I don’t know. It was just kind of last minute, and I always said if it doesn’t work out at Sacred Heart, I’ll go to Moravian,” Connelly said.

When cross country season ended in November, and as Connelly is nearing graduation, she started thinking about what she would be leaving behind.

“I know the Moravian team, and Morgan’s there, and I love running with her. We have really good chemistry,” said Connelly.

Morgan Weaver is a Freedom graduate and a sophomore at Moravian.

“Also, coach Bob [Thear] went there, and he had a really good recommendation about them,” Connelly said.

So Connelly decided to fill out the recruiting questionnaire, just to see what would happen.

“Literally the next day, the coach from Moravian called me and said he talked to Coach Bob and that he said really good things about me, so I toured the campus two weeks ago, and I met with the coach,” she said.

The Greyhounds are coached by Jesse Baumann.

“I went to Accepted Students Day this past weekend and had a really good time,” said Connelly. “I think I felt more at home there because this is my home.”

Connelly plans to major in psychology and ultimately work in the field of sports psychology.