Love and Long DistanceRunning
Seth Eagleson has been successful in life and in love.
The junior from Palestine, Indiana has made Gulf South Conference (GSC) runner of the week, wedding vows and set a Lee University Cross Country record since he came to college.
Seth married his high school sweetheart, junior Emily Eagleson, his sophomore year at Lee. Seth is now a devoted collegiate athlete, husband and christian. Though he is very busy, he loves it.
“Instead of going home to a roommate, I go home to a wife,” Seth said .
Seth and his wife refute being labeled a “ring by spring” couple. The couple started dating when they were juniors at Palestine High School. When Seth moved to Cleveland, TN for Lee, the two knew they were supposed to be together.
“It was so obvious it was what we were supposed to do,” Emily Eagleson said.
Emily packed up and transferred from her college in Indiana to Lee University and to her future husband.
Eagleson proposed In February 2015. He was set to run the three kilometer race at the Indoor Track Nationals. He finished with a decent time but complained about something in his shoe bothering him. He gave his shoe to Emily to examine, where she found an empty ring box. When she looked up from the box, Eagleson was on one knee in front of her, with a ring in his outstretched hand, and he asked her to marry him.
“The whole stands erupted,” Seth said.
The two were married just four months later, and now continue to go to school while living in Lee University's Carol Courts together. Though she doesn’t ever run with him, Emily continues to go to all the meets she can.
“He’s too fast and I hate running,” Emily said.
Eagleson is indeed definitely fast, according to the GSC and Lee University.
Eagleson beat his own eight kilometer record for Lee University Oct. 8, with a time of 24:25.7 at the Royals Cross Country challenge. He set his own record to break a year earlier on the same course, clocking in at 24:30.0. His new record is the second fastest time to be ran in an 8k GSC competition this season.
It was this time, along with placing fifth at the GSC championships and his team place first, that lead him to his title of GSC runner of the week.
“He has always been one of the determining factors of the national championships, regional championships, and conference championships,” former teammate, Terris Elliott said.
Eagleson said he has been exceeding expectations since his freshman year at Lee. He ran 40 seconds to a minute faster than what was expected of him as a freshman.
“He was the best runner at our High School,” Emily Eagleson said.
Though Eagleson was very competitive in High School, Emily Eagleson said she has been able to watch him mature into a man who cheers his teammates on when they beat him in a race. He cares about his teammates on the course and off of it and shows passion about his future career in pastoral ministries.
“He never half does anything,” Emily said.
Emily says she and Eagleson worked hard to put God first in their relationship so it would go where he wanted it to.
“We realized it was something different in High School,” Seth said, “We dated with the intention of it going somewhere.”
They plan to take their relationship and rescued shepherd-mix, Haddie, back to Indiana after Seth finishes graduate school.
