“I have always thought, the longer the distance, the better I am at it.”
Taylor senior Mollie Gamble has impacted Taylor athletics across cross country and track and field teams.
She has a strong resume, holding places in Taylor’s Top Ten All-Time Outdoor Performances list for the steeplechase, 5k and 10k.
Gamble has had multiple appearances at the national level. She was a major contributor when the undefeated women’s cross-country team won the National Championship meet in 2022. She was an All-American in the 2023 NAIA National Cross Country Championships and holds five of the Top 15 individual times of 2023 on the Taylor women’s cross country team. She was an All-American in the 2024 indoor track and field season in the 5k, and holds Taylor’s indoor 5k record with a time of 17:18.89.
Head cross country coach Quinn White, described his pride in Gamble’s racing, specifically in the National Cross Country Championship race in the fall.
“So far Mollie is a five-time All-American. She has had many special races, but the one that stands out most in my mind was her national xc race this past November,” he said. “Mollie finished 4th out of 331 runners. She exhibited outstanding grit and perseverance. Her mindset was outstanding and she put together a very special performance.”
Gamble has worked her way through a few events during her outdoor track seasons while at Taylor. Originally starting with the steeplechase, and moving to the 5k and 10k in later years, Gamble has experienced success across the board.
She automatically qualified for Outdoor Nationals in the 3k steeplechase in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons. In her 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons, she also qualified for Outdoor Nationals in the 10k, with B and A standards, respectively.
Most recently, Gamble hit B standard for the NAIA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 5k with a time of 17:31.58 at Indiana Wesleyan’s Little State Championships.
Just a week prior, Gamble hit A standard in the 10k while at the Bryan Clay Outdoor Invitational in Azusa, California where she raced against NAIA and NCAA athletes.
Head coach Derek Gay said that Gamble has left a mark on Taylor athletics, describing it as the end of a very impactful career for Gamble as an individual, but also for the program. He said he’s seen her continue to focus every day, even with her four years coming to an end.
“She is very focused on what she is doing,” he said. “ Wanting, I think, to finish strong and put an exclamation mark on her college career.”
As her career at Taylor closes, Gamble said she has started to run every race like it is her last.
“I do not want to waste any of these opportunities, and I do not want to put any unnecessary pressure on myself when there does not need to be any,” she said. “I am just going out and running with this gift that God has given me and running with my teammates who I love. They are so special to me.”
She uses her opportunities in meets and practices to be present in the moment, and running ‘super free’ for the last weeks of the outdoor season have helped her to cherish her time with her team.
When reflecting on her experience, Gamble said she would tell her first-year self to just have fun with running.
“Coming out of high school, I put a lot of pressure on myself to do my best. But something that I’ve learned this past year is, like, we are running for an audience of one,” she said.
Those words have stuck with her this year. She said that she would take time to enjoy the process and avoid unnecessary pressure that can produce nerves and negative cycles.
Gamble said she has also grown on a spiritual level through running and running with the team. She said that her abilities were such a God-given talent that she had no reason not to use it to the full.
The team has also been a crucial part of carrying her along on her faith journey. When the team keeps Christ at the center, they all grow in boldness and positivity.
The team has also benefited from Gamble’s leadership and positivity, junior Audrey Brinkruff said. She said Gamble is always approachable and always ready to listen. Her confidence, Brinkruff said, translates well on the track.
“She is a very encouraging person in workouts. She does not like that you get too negative and will call you out on that if you do,” she said. “She really enjoys hard workouts. I feel like it is so encouraging to run those with her.”
Gay also noted Gamble’s lead-by-example leadership style throughout meets and practices. He said he can routinely see ways that she cheers on her team.
“Just even in workouts, she is cheering teammates on and encouraging,” he said.
As Gamble finishes out her experiences at Taylor, her character as well as her times will impact the program for years to come.
