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Kathryn Conner knows better than most: it’s not how you start that matters -- it’s how you finish. The Savannah Arts Academy cross country standout has signed to run collegiality at Georgia Southern University and she recently took some time to discuss her past success and future plans with the Prep Sports Report.

A second-team selection by the Savannah Morning News for the 2019 All Greater Savannah Girls Cross Country Team, Conner says starting her cross country career at Savannah Arts Academy as a freshman was not directly due to her desire to compete at the college level.

“When I decided to run as a freshman, I just signed up to have a sport on my resume for college applications,” Conner said in a phone call with PSR in late April. “I thought it might be good to have a sport in my college (applications), but I never thought I would like it as much as I did.

“At first, I didn’t know if I’d be good enough to even compete.”

During her four years, she did much more than compete for a Panther cross country program that had already established itself as one of the area’s best at the time of her arrival on campus.

In October 2019, Conner was one of the five SAA runners making up the entirety of the top-5 at the 2019 Region 3-3A cross country championships at Southeast Bulloch in Statesboro. She posted a great time that weekend and finished in 21:46.80 as the Panthers dominated en route to their region crown.

“What I really think it is,” Conner said of that region title and good running performances in general. “I think the saying ‘runner’s high’ is a real thing. It is for me, at least. It’s all mental, kind of like meditation for moments.

“You can just find yourself getting into a zone in the middle of a race.”

Conner, who plans to study nursing in Statesboro beginning this fall, also starred on the track team each spring at SAA.

“It’s exciting,” she said.

“I want to do well. I think I can do that if I’m always improving in the classroom and while I’m competing on the (GS) team.”

Her start to running was one thing. How she plans on finishing her career will be displayed over the next four seasons at Georgia Southern. If history is any indication, expect a strong finish.