221 ATHLETICS SPRINTING back from SPAIN Cross country runner Nieves Megias returns from Spain to support her team. The COVID-19 global pandemic was a time of unknowns for many around the world. When Harding announced on March 19, 2020 that students would not return to campus after spring break, an uncertainty swept across the student body. “Not knowing what was going to happen next was the worst part, but I knew that at some point, I would be able to come back and see all my friends because we were not that far apart,” senior Dalton Allen said. Other students, however, were unable to feel the same. Sophomore international student Nieves Megias had a different experience traveling home than most of her peers. “I am from Madrid, Spain, and things were a lot more strict there,” Megias said. “The police there would not even let you be out on the streets.” Megias had to go directly into quarantine with her family after landing at the airport. “That was real ly weird, and I had never done that before,” Megias said. Megias and her family were nervous about COVID-19. “The news would say that there would be, like, 10,000 people infected every day,” Megias said. Although the situation in Spain was not ideal for Megias, time at home did allow her to appreciate the family in her life. “Before the virus, I would never just hug my mom for no reason, but now we have gotten so close,” Megias said. When news came that Harding would have in-person classes in the fall, Megias was hesitant to return. Her commitment to the Harding cross country and track teams, however, made her decision clear. “I knew I had to come back for my team and practice with them, even if we didn’t have a season,” Megias said. Her teammates felt the same way and respected Megias’s willingness to come back to the U.S. “It was kind of a sacrifice for her to come back when we aren’t even competing, especially since the United States is growing with cases,” sophomore Jada Trice said. Despite the cancellation of the 2020 cross country season and the uncertainty of the 2021 track season, Megias felt surrounded by a second family when she returned to the U.S. “Everyone was very supportive, and I felt good to be back,” Megias said. COVID-19 impacted many things in Megias’s life, and returning to campus was challenging. As an athlete for the cross country and track teams, however, Megias said she felt that being back at Harding was where she belonged. “I had to come back,” Megias said. “It’s what I came here to do.” story by Daniela Cuellar
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