Houghton University Athletics

When Marion Austin was finishing high school near Peekskill, New York, she was looking for a Christian college in New York state with an athletic department and solid Christian commitment. On paper, Houghton met all of the criteria, but her visit on prospective student day solidified her decision.
 
Marion found a new home at Houghton, thanks to a welcoming community and family of cross country and track teammates that grew closer and lived life together through long runs, team building activities and roads trips to meets. Her favorite runs were Tucker Hill Loop and the cross country ski slopes because she says she could see God's creation through nature. "I hated running hills, devil's back and hearts, for practice but knew it was a going to help me," she says.
 
While she participated in cross country and soccer, Marion saw her greatest success on the track, becoming Houghton's first female national champion and first two-time national champion of any gender. At the 1990 NCCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championship, Marion was named Outstanding Women's Performer of the meet after winning both the 10,000 meters (38:59.06) and 5,000 meters (18:24.18).
 
She describes her performance in the 10,000 that day as the classic "tortoise vs. the hare" story. "Most people start off fast then slow down with the distance," she says, "but I ran a steady and consistent race. This race was like every other race, I passed one person at a time until I achieved first place."
 
"Winning MVP of the national meet was unbelievable," Marion continues, "I had played sports since grade four but never really stood out. It was a boost of confidence and taught me that if I put my everything into a task I could conquer it with persistence. I was proud to be a representative of Houghton College."
 
Marion graduated in 1991 and is appreciative of her athletics experiences and an education that prepared her to be a teacher and advocate for children and to stand up for what one believes. 
 
She also points to the lessons athletics taught in the areas of discipline, self-determination, and being a team player. "As a social worker with the foster care population it is my job to work well on an interdisciplinary team," Marion says. "Being a team athlete prepared me to understand that each individual contributes to the team and for the good of the children we serve."
 
Marion holds a master's degree in Social Work and is working on her licensure in clinical social work. She is currently a social worker and therapist at New Hope Foster Homes and a social service assistant and residential counselor at the Home of the Innocents in Louisville, Kentucky.
 
She is active in her local church, enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures and is a volunteer at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.