Brewer star Clark commits to FSU Distance specialist returning to south

The decision Heather Clark recently made to attend Florida State University was less about leaving her home in Brewer and more about going home to the south, where she was born and lived until she was about 10 years old.

Of course, the prospect of a full scholarship to run cross country and track for the Seminoles was just too much for the Brewer High senior to turn down.

Clark will sign a national letter of intent to attend the Tallahassee school in a ceremony Thursday afternoon in the Brewer High library.

Clark, a distance specialist, may be the first schoolgirl athlete at Brewer to receive a full scholarship to a Division I school.

Among Clark’s high school accomplishments are two state indoor championships in the mile, six Brewer High records in distances from 800 meters to two miles in indoor and outdoor, an eighth-place finish at the New England cross country championships, and a sixth in the indoor mile at New Englands.

“She is one of those runners who has steadily improved from her freshman to senior years,” Brewer cross country coach Glendon Rand said. “She hasn’t really leveled off yet. Plus the fact that we didn’t really push a lot of miles on her here. I think they see that as a sign that when she gets stronger and can handle a heavier workload she’ll get better.”

Clark spent part of her younger years in North Carolina, and she was looking to get back to the south.

“That’s one of the main things. I’ve really been focusing on the south and I wanted to go back,” she said. “I spent a lot of my childhood there and that’s what I was looking for. It’s a great area, nice hills and trails to run on, and beaches.”

Clark visited the FSU campus in January and immediately felt comfortable with the Seminoles.

“I really liked the atmosphere and how quickly I fit in with the team,” she said. “Instantly I felt like I was part of the team. And the scholarship offer was substantial enough to just kind of put everything over the top.”

Clark was also considering South Florida, Richmond, and Mississippi.

“To get an all-around package from Florida State, the name itself, you just can’t do anything better than that,” she added.

She’s also happy that the decision part is over – and so are the nightly phone calls from college coaches. Clark said she received about three calls from 6 to 10 p.m. almost every night.

“It feels great to have all the pressure off,” she said. “I get more sleep at night not waiting for phone calls.”

Clark is focusing on the current outdoor track season, with a big emphasis on breaking five minutes in the mile and lowering her two-mile time.

Clark, who has a 95.87 grade point average and is ranked second in her class, plans to major in nursing.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.