Chloe Inhelder was still on the fence about potentially running in college when College of Saint Mary cross country coach Derek Fey contacted her. Fey encouraged the Colorado native to visit the Omaha campus.

“I was amazed by the programs here and what it had to offer me both as a student and an athlete,” said Chloe, who met with some of her future cross-country teammates during her visit.

Attending college eight hours from home made Chloe nervous. She didn’t know anyone. “Once I got into the grove of school and managed running and homework, I felt comfortable,” she said. In addition to cross country, Chloe also runs the 3K in indoor track and the 5K in outdoor track.

Chloe, a junior, initially began college as a business major. Her father has worked in the business industry for more than 20 years. But she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. “I’ve had a love for writing for so long that I just switched my major and study a little more that I found a bigger drive and motivation,” said Chloe, now an English major with career aspirations to be a journalist or writer. She’s also seeking three minors in business, communications and Spanish.

Chloe said she knew she made the right choice with CSM because of the people, including her classmates, staff and faculty.

“I love that your professors get to know you so well. They want that connection and personal relationship with you, so you succeed,” she said. “Your professors want to know your name, they want to know how you are as a student, and they want to build you up for success by the time you get to graduation. That’s what I was looking for in a college.”