Sofia Foulds ’26
Quinn McHale ’26
With a passion for running and an unshakeable determination, Stevie Combs ’25 is respected throughout the Episcopal community. It wasn’t until her freshman year when Combs came to Episcopal, and that is also when her passion for track initially developed. Beginning her career with winter track, Combs immediately felt a connection with the sport. Through her hard work and grit, Combs worked through the ranks, now consistently running on the varsity level for the winter and spring track seasons.
As a sprinter, Combs reaches her full potential in the 200 meter dash, as it is one of the shortest events, next to the 100. She explains, “My favorite event is the 200 because I feel like when running anything shorter, I have much more energy to give and when running anything longer,I get too tired.” Coaches, teammates, and spectators have all taken notice of Combs. Teammate Ryann Newcomb ’26 states, “In my opinion she has the best running form out of all the sprinters on the team, and I look at her as an example of what I need to achieve.”
Furthermore, Coach John Goens notes, “Stevie has one of the best running forms that we’ve seen in the last 10 years. When she is flying around the track, I’ll hear other coaches say, ‘who taught her to run like that?’ And we’ve said time and time again, that’s not us, that’s Stevie. Stevie is a natural.”
Aside from Combs’s outstanding athletic capabilities, she consistently shows up to practice with a positive attitude, ready to lead and learn each day. Sprint Coach Jonathan Hill says, “The amount of effort she puts in, how she shows up everyday,and her willingness to work hard really makes her stand out.” For her teammates, Stevie is an outstanding role model. “Although she’s reserved, she is also outspoken. She’ll speak up if somebody is lost about a workout or someone needs demonstrations. She’s always one of the first people to volunteer.” Coach Hill mentions. Stevie’s leadership and attitude has earned her position of senior leader for the track team. “She contributes a humble spirit and leads by example. She doesn’t lead by gloating her medals and accolades, but rather through kindness and encouragement.” Newcomb comments.
Photo courtesy of Kamau Kegler ’27
Combs states that her favorite moment from running track at EA was, “coming to school over the summer to practice for the New Balance Nationals last year and the year prior.” She describes the experience as, “hectic, but very, very fun. That environment with people from all across the country is really fun.”
Stevie has high hopes for the coming Spring track seasons, stating, “I have a lot of confidence that we’re going to do well in Inter-Acs, which is hosted at EA this year. That should be really fun to have all the students come out and watch us—it might even give us some extra energy. ”
Stevie has committed to continuing her athletic and academic career at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. She looks forward to the differences between highschool and Division III track and field. “I picked Denison because I was looking for a small to mid-sized institution in the northeast. I was really looking for a good school with great academics.I wanted to focus more on the student aspect of student-athlete, while still participating in the sport that I love so much.” Come fall of 2025, there is no doubt that Stevie’s humble spirit and exceptional abilities will contribute greatly to Denison’s team.