WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- It has been a busy seven months for Palm Beach Atlantic University junior Meghan Gilmore. Not only has the young athlete from Asheville, North Carolina transferred to PBA from the University of Georgia but she has also shifted focus from being a soccer player for the Bulldogs to a top-flight cross country runner for the Sailfish. Now preparing for her first championship season running with her Sailfish teammates, Gilmore recently won the Bele Chere 5K race in her hometown, just one of many races that she has received accolades for since moving to South Florida to continue her collegiate athletic and academic career.

We had the opportunity to sit down for a few minutes with Gilmore and ask her a few questions in the latest installment of the Sailfish Spotlight which allows readers at PBASailfish.com to learn a bit more about an exceptional Sailfish student-athlete, coach, or alumni.

1) You've been pretty active in running races since coming to PBA in January of this year, how have they been going overall?

I have been very blessed to be doing well at most of the races I have competed in since January and on.  I take my training very seriously and am a very competitive person and so putting the two together I put a lot in and get a lot out.  Also I always am looking for ways to improve my times or do better be it a new workout or protein shakes or anything! So I think having the desire to always do better is a key to success not only in running but also in life.

2) You went to college (UGA) to play soccer and did for two years and now have transformed into a cross-country runner at the collegiate level, how has the transition been?

The transition has been as smooth as glass. I have always been a runner just trapped in a soccer players body I feel like because I played forward all growing up and the typical word to describe a forward is lazy and they don't like to do a lot of running and I was the complete opposite. I ran all over the field I just wanted the ball every second of every game! Also, when I wasn't getting the playing time I desired at UGA I began to run a lot on my own and it was a lot more enjoyable for me to go out on a long run then do a sprint workout and so I opted for the long run and got myself in cross country shape!

3) What's the biggest difference between competing in the two sports?

Running although on a team is a much more individual sport than soccer because in soccer you can have a bad game and yet your team can still win and running is just not the same in that aspect.  A quote by Oprah also perfectly describes my love for running and why.  She states, "running is the greatest metaphor for life, you get out what you put in."  I just love that with running if you put in the hard work and you can get amazing results! It’s just really satisfying to push yourself to the limits and then reap the benefits.  It’s not political like a lot of other sports where time played can be bought or people can get by with an ok game.  In running it is evident how much time you put in and how hard you have been working.

4) What made you decide on Palm Beach Atlantic?

It was just my perfect fit, when I stepped on campus I knew it just felt right.  I loved the school, it’s so pretty! I also love the location of campus being right downtown and city place and the beach being in walking distance because I don’t have a car so that is a blessing! I attended chapel on my visit and just thought that was awesome and every single person I met on campus that day from admissions, athletics, the cafeteria, and the student body was just so welcoming and loving, I knew I was in the right place! I also want to be a TV broadcaster after I graduate and the local station is right down the block with some employees being PBA alums and PBA has a great Broadcast News program so everything was just the perfect fit!

5) How does your faith incorporate into your desire to compete as well as win these long-distance races?

I just know that God blessed me with the ability to run and so when I go out there and give it everything I have, I know that I am praising him! If I didn’t run everyday and try my best to maximize what the Lord has blessed me with then I would feel as if I was letting him down but it’s what I love to do and I am running every race for him.  When I’m older I hope to start a race like the Susan G. Komen race for Breast Cancer and then really impact people with my running with all the proceeds from the race going to the chosen charity.

6) Outside of running, what else do you enjoy doing?

I’m a really outdoorsy person, growing up in the mountains in Asheville I was blessed with awesome trails to run and hike with waterfalls and lakes and natural rocks you can slide down and amazing views so I love doing anything outside! I also love laying out at the beach or pool after a long run, nothing is more relaxing or feels better! I also love to read anything and everything from the Bible to the newspaper to any old book in the library, I just love how much smarter I feel after reading about various subjects! Finally I love being around people and especially kids! I volunteer at the Ascent at the 9 am service and watch the preschool age children while their parents are in church and it’s just so awesome because the kids are so sweet and it’s just cool to see them grow and how influential you can be to a child!

7) Who have been some of the people that have most inspired and influenced you on and off the athletic fields?

My entire family first and foremost without them I would not be where I am today.  They are all so supportive and loving and have given up so much of their own time and sacrificed so much for me to accomplish my dreams.  Especially my mom she has driven me all over this country for sports growing up and we have probably stayed in every hotel there is for tournaments and I can never thank her enough for always giving me the opportunity to try even when times were tough.

Also Coach Sonja, I have never had a coach who I could also call my best friend!   She just gets me, most people who aren’t runners don’t understand how someone can love to go out and run 10 miles or whatever it is but she understands and is the same way! She also has been so supportive and given me the confidence to believe in myself and reach for whatever dreams I have, which I have some “out there” dreams. Finally she is an amazing role model.  She balances a lot and does it all without ever complaining and a smile on her face and God in her heart, I hope to be like her when I’m older.

8) Being from North Carolina, what's your favorite part of living in South Florida?

I absolutely love South Florida, after I graduate I want to live in South Florida, or LA or New York depending on where my career leads me and then I want to retire in Hawaii!  My favorite is just the beauty, not only the landscape including the beach and palm trees but all of the buildings and architecture just amazes me. When I first came down it just blew my mind that there was no litter on the street on graffiti on the walls and there are constantly people working on maintain the beauty of the city, very different from North Carolina!