SPU: Four-year letterwinner. … SPU co-captain in 2010 and 2011. ... SPU Most Valuable (low-point) in 2011. ... GNAC Freshman of the Year in 2008. … All-GNAC in 2008, 2010, and 2011. ... USTFCCCA All-West Region in 2011 … Academic All-American in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. ... GNAC All-Academic and Academic All-District in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Senior (2011): Opened her year in style, winning both UAF Invitational Long-Course and Short-Course races. The short-course title was her second straight and earned her GNAC women's cross country Athlete of the Week honors. .. After a 14th-place overall finish at Sundodger, came back the following week and led all Division II runners with an 8th-place overall finish at the Erik Anderson Invitational in Spokane, an NCAA pre-regional meet. ... Was shoulder-to-shoulder with teammate Heidi Laabs-Johnson at the GNAC Championships, taking 8th overall (No. 2 for SPU) to earn her third All-GNAC honor in four seasons. ... Capped her career with a 23rd-place overall finish (No. 2 for SPU) at the NCAA West Regionals to gain All-Region status.
Junior (2010): Opened the season with her first college victory, winning the UAF Long-Course meet on Sept. 2 in Fairbanks. ... Again led SPU, this time with a third-place overall finish, in the UAF Short-Course meet two days later. ... After that, a stress fracture kept her on the sidelines until Oct. 23, when she led the Falcons with a 24th-place finish at the Pre-Regional meet in Bellingham. ... Grabbed a spot in the top 10 at GNACs with a late-race surge, taking 9th place to lead the Falcons. ... Ran 2nd for SPU and 27th overall at NCAA West Regionals.
Sophomore (2009): Missed first five meets of the season recovering from an injury. Made season debut at Western Washington Invite on Oct. 10 and was the first SPU runner across the line, taking 8th place overall and leading Falcons to a fourth-place team finish. ... Ran No. 3 for Seattle Pacific at GNAC Championships (11th overall) and at NCAA West Regionals (17th overall). ... Placed 49th overall (No. 4 for Falcons) at NCAA Division II championships in Evansville, Ind., helping team claim the fourth-place trophy.
Freshman (2008): Established herself as a solid No. 3 runner for the Falcons. ... Took third place at the Saint Martin's Invitational in her first college race. .... Placed fourth in the Western Washington Invitational. ... Ran 15th overall at GNAC, 15th at NCAA West Regionsl and 51st at NCAA Division II Championships in Slippery Rock, Pa.
Newport High School: Led Knights to the Class 3A Washington state championship as a senior in 2007, finishing fifth individually and first for Newport.
Personal: Natalie Josephine Elizabeth Plunkett. ... Born July 4, 1990. ... Psychology major. ... Currently in the first year of a three-year marriage & family therapy master's program. ... Both parents and uncle attended SPU.
Fun facts: Speaks Spanish, was in a Spanish immersion program from grades K-12. ... In addition to cross country running, enjoys cross country skiing. ... Played rec soccer for seven years. ... Worse movie she ever saw was the Spanish film "Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown" during a Spanish immersion class in high school. ... Favorite sport to watch is gymnastics. ... Favorite books are "Petey," "Harry Potter," and "Chronicles of Narnia." ... Loves dark chocolate truffles. ... Favorite TV program is "What not to Wear." ... Has traveled three times to Mexico, twice to Costa Rica and once to Panama. ... Some of her teammates call her Nattapult. ... Enjoys country music. ... Would like to practice family social work in Latin America.
