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6/8/2001 - Women's Track and Field
Marcia Flack: A True Leader

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Marcia Flack graduated from the United States Naval Academy on May 25, marking the end of a four-year challenge for someone that loves to be challenged.

In her four years at Navy, Flack has grown from a small-town girl in Northeast Ohio who had never even heard of the Naval Academy, to a commissioned 2Lt. in the United States Marine Corps.

"I have developed in so many ways in my four years here," said Flack. "I have really grown a lot. Going to school here is a unique opportunity and I tried to get everything out of it that I could."

Flack ran cross country and track at Riverside High School in Painesville, Ohio and was a four-time conference champion in the 100, 200 and 400 meters. She was headed to Muskingum or Pennsylvania, before receiving a recruiting letter from Navy women's track coach Carla Criste.

"I received a form letter from coach Criste and I was going to throw it out, because that is what I was doing with all the form letters," said Flack. "One of my teachers, Mr. Kapastasy, saw the letter in my hand and asked me about it. When I told him it was from the Naval Academy, he told me that the Naval Academy was a wonderful opportunity and I should look into it. I owe a lot to my high school track coaches."

The irony was that Flack had actually considered enlisting in the Marine Corps, because she was drawn to the challenge of the military. "My brother was in the Marine Corps and I was considering enlisting," said Flack. "I had no idea I could go to a school like the Naval Academy, get a degree, and graduate to officer status. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

Flack admits she was nervous when she came to Annapolis for Induction Day, but was committed enough that she would at least give it a year to find out if she liked it or not.

"I kind of struggled here early on, but I was committed to staying through my plebe year. After I finished that first year, I wanted to give it one more year. After my second year, I still considered leaving but decided that this was the place for me."

Flack credits track with helping her get through those initial two years. "Track really helped a lot, because of the friends I made," said Flack. "It provided a nice break from the daily grind to go to practice and workout in the afternoons. Track also allowed me to get away on the weekends." ne of Flack's biggest thrills at the Academy was being named indoor team captain her senior year. Flack and her best friend, Jocelyn Butcher, who was the outdoor captain this past spring, had a vision of what they wanted the track team to become and being named captain allowed those thoughts to become reality.

"Jocelyn and I always used to talk about what we would do to make things better," said Flack. "When we first came to the Academy the track team wasn't that close. Everyone had their little group of friends and it didn't seem that we were much of a team. Our goal was to bring everyone closer and be more of a team."

"Marcia is probably the best captain we have had since I have been here," said Criste. "She installed an incredible sense of team unity and she made things fun. She was very enjoyable to have around."

One of the things Flack did to bring the team closer was having the team participate in community service. The team visited the Sun Rise Assisted Living Center on Easter Sunday to hand out candy, participated in the Special Olympics, had a youth Easter egg hunt and organized a blood drive for Associate Athletic Director Dave Smalley, who has been ill.

"The community service projects were very rewarding," said Flack. "It made us appreciate the opportunity we have and brought us closer as a team." All of Flack's hard work both individually and as team captain paid off on Feb. 18 when the Navy women's track team won its first-ever Patriot League championship when the Mids won the indoor title. "That was a big thrill, something that I will never forget," said Flack. "It was the culmination of a lot of hard work and it was a total team effort."

Flack's biggest achievement individually came later in her senior year when she won the outdoor 400-meter hurdles at the prestigious Heptagonal Track & Field Championship in Princeton, N.J. She became the second-straight Navy runner to win the event, as Joanna Helm won it last year.

"I never expected to win the Heps," said Flack. "It was a great feeling to win, especially since Joanna won it last year."

Upon graduation, Flack was assigned to the track office for two months before reporting to Quantico on the 23rd of July for six months of training. "She will be a great leader for the Marine Corps," said Criste. "She has the unique personality that is able to deal with all types of individuals and personalities. Nothing she does will surprise me."