Washington-St. Louis senior Morgen Leonard-Fleckman writes about her last days in a track and field uniform. Leonard-Fleckman was the national champion in the pole vault this winter.

It is a strange feeling to be finished with college and still competing in track. I turned in my last paper on Tuesday, but the season doesn't end until the NCAA Championships at the end of May. It is hard to think that I only have two more meets before I turn in my uniform for good. But before I do so, I want to set the record straight about the team aspect of track and field, at least as I have seen it in DIII.

When most people think of track and field, they think about individual athletes. They think about times and heights and personal bests. In my experience, however, track has been all about the team. It has been about the team breakdowns, the bus rides, the collective workouts. It has been about the e-mails over winter break to push each other to keep training and the senior thrower who shaved a "W" into his head for the conference championships. Sure, at the NCAA meet, the team attendance shrinks to only a few athletes, but all I have to do is check my e-mail or pick up my phone to remember the massive group of people supporting us.

I understand how spectators could miss this aspect of the sport. When the athletes stand in the blocks or at the end of the runway, they appear to stand alone. What is easy to overlook is the motivation going into each performance and the work behind it. It is a lot harder to give up when you know you are not just letting yourself down. And it is a lot easier to finish a workout when there is someone running next to you, pushing you to keep going.

One of the most memorable examples of team triumph I have witnessed on the track was Illinois Wesleyan's victory during the women's indoor national meet this year. With the outcome of the meet resting on the mile relay, IWU's Rachel Anderson passed four runners in the last leg to win the team title. Anyone watching the race could tell she was not just running for herself. Our team was thrilled to get third place in the meet, the program's highest finish.

As I get ready to turn in my uniform, it is the moments with my teammates that I will remember the clearest and miss the most.