WEBSTER GROVES - Here is this week's Gorlok Alumni Spotlight highlighting Webster Athletics alumni and what they are doing today and how their Webster experience helped them in their life after college.
Today's 18th and fifth Gorlok Alumni Spotlight of the 2021 calendar year showcases Holly (Goergen) Dudley, who was a four-year letterwinner in both women's cross country and women's track and field from 2014-18.
During her four year career, Dudley, who is married to former Webster men's track and cross country runner Austin Dudley, lettered at Webster from 2014-17 and was also a four-time All-St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection in cross country, including being a three-time First-Team All-SLIAC selection in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
In cross country, Dudley recorded six career Top 10 finishes, including a third-place showing at the 2017 SLIAC Championships en route to helping the Gorloks to their second ever league title. She is also one of three Gorlok women's cross country runners in school history to earn All-SLIAC honors four times and is one of four Gorloks to earn First-Team All-SLIAC honors three times. Additionally, she posted nine career Top 20 finishes, was a SLIAC Runner of the Week in 2016 and earned Webster Athletics' Inspiration Award in 2016-17. She also has two Top 5 all-time 6K times in program history as her time of 23:09 at the 2017 NCAA Regionals is third in school history, while her time of 23:17 at the 2017 SLIAC Championships is fifth all-time in program history.
Recently, Dudley was named to both the SLIAC and Webster Athletics 2010s All-Decade Women's Cross Country.
Meanwhile, Dudley was a four-year letterwinner in both indoor and outdoor track at Webster from 2015-18. In her time running track with the Gorloks, she was a three-time All-SLIAC selection in outdoor track as she earned the honor twice in the 10,000-meter run and was an All-SLIAC selection in the 5,000-meter run. She was the runner-up in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs at the 2017 SLIAC Outdoor Track Championships and was the runner-up in the 10,000-meter run at the 2018 SLIAC Outdoor Track Championships. In addition, she was second in the 3,000-meter run at the 2018 SLIAC Indoor Invitational.
In indoor track, Dudley owns the second-fastest indoor time in school history in the 3,000-meter run as she ran a time of 11:16.33 at the DePauw Invitational in 2017 and recorded five career Top 10 finishes in the 3,000-meters and also had two Top 3 finishes in the 5,000-meter run as she placed first in the event at the Polar Bear Final Qualifier in 2017 and was third in the 5,000 meters at the Fred Wilt Invitational in 2016.
In outdoor track, Dudley was the runner-up in the 5,000-meters at the 2017 SLIAC Outdoor Championships and also holds the second fastest time in the event in school history as she tallied a time of 18:47.15 at the WashU Invitational in 2018 and in the 10,000-meter run, she was a two-time All-SLIAC selection and holds the school record in the event with a time of 40:25.89 that was recorded at the Rhodes Invitational in 2018. She was also the runner-up in the 10,000-meters at the 2016 SLIAC Invitational.
Much like cross country, Dudley was recently named to the Webster Athletics 2010s All-Decade Team in both indoor and outdoor track and was named to the SLIAC All-Decade Women's Outdoor Track.
Dudley, who is originally from Phoenix, Ariz., earned her Bachelors degree from Webster in 2018 and is currently attending Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, for her PhD in Molecular Biology.
For more information on Holly and the impact her experience at Webster had on her life, please read the Q&A below.
Q: Name, Sport(s) played at Webster, What years were you a student-athlete?
A: Holly (Goergen) Dudley, Women's Cross Country and Track, 2014-18.
Q: Where are you living now and what are you doing?
A: I'm currently living in Cleveland, Ohio, where I am attending Case Western Reserve University for a PhD in Molecular Biology.
Q: What was your favorite class and favorite professor at Webster?
A: My favorite class was Virology taught by my favorite professor, Dr. Stephanie Schroeder. This was my first class that sparked an interest in pursuing a career in scientific research, and Dr. Schroeder really made me believe it was possible.
Q: When was the last time you were back on the Webster campus?
A: The last time I visited campus was this past summer when my husband and I met with Coach (Dan) Graber for our last run in St. Louis before moving to Ohio. We, of course, ran the Bompart Loop (the best in Webster Groves). It felt like a fitting way to say goodbye.
Q: What was your favorite highlight/favorite non-athletic memory from your time at Webster?
A: I enjoyed doing my senior thesis experiment, it was fun to be able to design and carry out my own research project.
Q: What was your favorite athletic highlight/memory from your time at Webster (doesn't have to be your sport)?
A: During the 2017 cross country season, we won the SLIAC title and i had my best conference finish ever (third place), I smiled just about the entire race. For track, my favorite highlights are split between setting the school record in the 10K and the excitement of the Distance Carnival at WashU every year.
Q: What's the one thing you know now that you wish you knew while you were a student-athlete?
A: I wish I had known everything was going to turn out alright; that I would reach all my goals eventually. I should have chilled out and had a little bit more fun.
Q: How would you summarize your time as a student-athlete at Webster?
A: I think my time at Webster was great. I always worked very hard, always trying to run as much as I could, do well in class and because of that I was able to achieve most of the things I wanted.
Q: What is one thing you learned while a student-athlete that you have applied in everyday life?
A: I learned through running that hard work and perseverance through tough times are valuable to achieve life skills, Also, that there are few stresses too great that a nice run can't fix.
Q: What advice do you have for current Gorloks about being a student-athlete at Webster?
A: Chill out and have a good time.
Q: What is your greatest accomplishment so far, could be as a student-athlete or in everyday life since college?
A: Athletically, my biggest accomplishment since graduation has been running the St. Louis Marathon. In my personal life, my greatest joys have been marrying Austin and starting my PhD at Case Western.
Q: What advice do you have for current Gorlok student-athletes about life after college?
A: Keep your connections from your time at Webster, and I don't just mean with all the friends you make along the way. Keep in touch with your favorite professor, keep in touch with your coaches. Also, don't hang on your time competing as the "glory days" like people say, there's plenty of good times to be had after college.
