Cambridge Christian senior and one of the fastest milers ever in Florida high school history in Mary Ellen Eudaly has joined her star teammate Caroline Lehman in knowing her she will be running in college next fall.
After Lehman committed to Notre Dame very early back in July, Eudaly announced on Saturday that she will be also headed to run for a major Division 1 powerhouse program as well in the University of Arkansas. She will be running for long-time and distinguished Arkansas head coach Lance Harter who heads the women's cross country and track programs in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas women's team most recently won an NCAA indoor team title last winter.
Eudaly is not the only Florida high school star now aligned with the Lady Razorbacks. Currently, Krissy Gear is one of the top runners on the Arkansas roster as an SEC conference champion in the steeplechase and NCAA All-American in cross country, indoors in the mile, and outdoors at 1500 meters as well as competing in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this past summer.
Gear was a high school star and multiple state champion at Fort Myers High School and actually her cousin Madeleine is a current sophomore teammate of Mary Ellen Eudaly at Cambridge Christian as the team's current #4 runner on their Florida top-ranked cross country squad.
Eudaly, originally started at HB Plant High School and ran 4:54 for 1600 meters as a state runner-up in her freshman year while also helping them to their program's 12th state cross country title last fall before transferring to run for Cambridge Christian in the middle of the 2020-2021 school year for the spring outdoor season.
Eudaly saw her best season ever as a junior in the outdoor season moving into the top 5 all-time for the 1600 meter run with a 4:44 personal best and winning the 1A state title as well joining a short list of sub 10:20 girls in Florida high school history for 3200 meters as well. She was ranked top 25 in the country last spring for two mile (15th), 1600 meters (16th), and 3200 meters (25th).
Arkansas is getting the nation's 10th fastest returning miler in Eudaly, who may potentially this spring chase after sub 4:40 and would join only state record holder Caitlin Collier in Florida high school history to achieve that performance.
Eudaly has raced three times so far this cross country season and her first season for Cambridge Christian including two victories and a 17:51 victory at the North Port Invite. She will be racing next at the FSU Pre-State Invitational this weekend against many of Florida's very best including Stanford commit and state 5K record holder Caroline Wells.