Ex-Redhounds Martin and Stevens run strong at UC

(Story by Trevor Sherman)

Fans of Corbin Redhound athletics will surely remember the names Hailey Martin and Cora Bo Stevens.

Photos courtesy of UNIV. of the CUMBERLANDS SPORTS INFORMATION
GREAT RUN: Former Corbin Redhounds Hailey Martin (above) and her cousin, Cora Stevens (below), are former Corbin High School athletic standouts who ended up running together at the college level as members of the University of the Cumberlands women’s track & field team.

Martin, a 2017 graduate from CHS, set multiple school records during her time as a track and field athlete, making history by qualifying for KHSAA state competition in four separate events as a senior: 100m hurdles, 300m hurdles, 100m dash and 200m dash. She medaled in three out of the four events.

Stevens, a 2018 CHS grad, also broke records in track and field during her time as a Running Redhound, specializing in relays. She was also a multiple-time region champion in tennis, and was part of two 50th District championship basketball seasons in 2015 and 2016.

To say that this pair of first cousins have been blessed with athletic ability would be quite the understatement, and that has continued to be true at the collegiate level.

After continuing to compete in track and field for the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, both ladies are finishing strong before moving on to the next phase of their lives.

Martin and Stevens played a part in Cumberlands’ second place overall finish at the 2022 Mid-South Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in Louisville earlier this year, and they followed that up by helping the UC women to another runner-up finish at this year’s MSC Outdoor Championships, which the  Patriots hosted this past Sunday and Monday.

Editor’s Note: Former Williamsburg Yellow Jackets Mikkah Siler and Neveah Warren also competed for Cumberlands at both MSC Championship events as freshman Patriots.

At the indoor championships, Stevens ran a personal best time of 1:38.74 in the 600m run, which was good enough for a second-place finish. She also contributed as a relay runner, helping her teams secure a third-place finish in the distance medley and a runner-up finish in the 4×400.

Martin qualified to compete in the finals of the 60m hurdles event at the indoor championships after posting a time of 10.57 in the preliminary event on day one.

Both women managed to impress again at this week’s outdoor championships, with Stevens achieving PRs in multiple events and helping the 4×800-meter relay team to a first place finish.

Martin was also on her game, finishing in the top spot of the 400m hurdles preliminary race on Sunday afternoon before taking home second place in the finals of that event on Monday.

When asked about the experience of competing as a college athlete, Martin said, “It is definitely a big change, and very challenging, but I am very glad that I got the opportunity to compete at the college level.”

“Now that it is my last year to ever compete in the sport that I’ve been active in since middle school, I’m just going to give it my all,” Martin continued. “I am going to do the best that I can, and just try to enjoy my last season as a collegiate track athlete.”

“As for my time at UC, I have dealt with a lot of hardships, but that didn’t stop me from competing in the sport that I love.”

After college, Martin says that she would like to continue contributing to track and field as a coach.

When asked about any advice that she might offer current track athletes who have hopes of competing in college one day, she said, “Do not get discouraged when things start to get hard. It’s a whole different ball game competing at the collegiate level. Practices get harder, and you’re going to compete against older and stronger opponents, but don’t let that stop you from competing in the sport you love.”

Stevens echoed many of those sentiments, saying, “Competition at the collegiate level is completely different from competition at the high school level. A college team is basically a team full of all-stars, and it’s a dog-eat-dog world.”

“It is extremely difficult, but I have enjoyed the challenge of improving my skills to compete and succeed among such great athletes.”

Stevens, who plans on pursuing a Doctorate in Physical Therapy after completing her undergraduate studies, said to all of the aspiring college athletes out there, “My word of advice would be to not get discouraged. Competition at this level is supposed to be hard. Otherwise, everyone would be a college athlete.”

“There will be times when you fail, times when you get humbled, and times when you get replaced. All of those things have happened to me, and it is a hard pill to swallow.”

“That being said, do not give up. Let that fuel you, and work even harder. You may not be the best athlete, but you can be the hardest working one.”

For more information on the University of the Cumberlands women’s track and field team, including detailed results from both 2022 Mid-South Conference championship events, go online to www.cumberlandspatriots.com.