Serrano at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in June of 2013 First stop was at the University of North Carolina and down the road at Duke University (pix are of Duke)

We toured UNC on our own, but had appointments set up with Duke and Wake Forest. As college basketball fans, Steve Brenner and I were in heaven being in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. The Duke head track coach met with us and gave us a tour of the campus, then the girls got a workout in on the Duke track. Then it was off to Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem for another campus tour. The head coach brought the girls in and talked to them all about running in college and the recruitment process.

Then it was on to Greensboro, the location of Nationals. In Greensboro, we found a park that was the site of a Revolutionary War battle. The park is full of bikers and joggers, so it was a great place for the girls to practice in the days leading up to the meet. We also got to visit the Woolworths where the lunch counter sit-ins occurred during the Civil Rights movement.

On to North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro. During the competition, athletes are not allowed to actually wear their official school uniform so as to not conflict with the various state rules and such, but the girls brought theirs for picture purposes.

The beautiful stadium at NC A&T. The track is a Mondo surface – almost like a carpet material – and the type of track thats required for Olympic competitions

In the 4x800 meter relay on Saturday night, Melissa Fairchild, Kelly Fairchild, Shanna Burns, and Kylie Betts broke the all-time school record and finished 5 th in their heat and 13 th overall in the nation. On Sunday morning, Courtney Brenner joined the Fairchild sisters and Shanna and they posted the second fastest 4xmile relay time ever by a Serrano team. They finished 14 th in the nation, which is phenomenal, but were somewhat disappointed, as the time they ran earlier in the year to qualify for Nationals would have garnered them 4 th place and All-American status.

KYLIE BETTS Our only senior in the group, Kylies now running for Azuza Pacific University. At their time trials a few weeks ago, Kylie was one of the top three girls. Shes excited about her upcoming freshman season.

COURTNEY BRENNER Now just a sophomore and part of the reason why the girls XC team is ranked 3 rd in the Southern Section and 5 th in the State.

SHANNA BURNS Shannas a junior this year and may be the most improved runner Ive seen in a few years.

KELLY FAIRCHILD A sophomore this year, Kelly is a model of consistency. Qualified for CIF Finals in track last year as a freshman.

MELISSA FAIRCHILD Our only senior of the group, Melissas a three-time All- State cross country performer and is hoping to add a team State title to her individual honors.

Thanks for all of your support in helping these Lady Diamondbacks raise the money to get them back to North Carolina and take that Dback pride back to the East Coast. Its always a great day to be a Diamondback!