Before senior sprinter ReJeana Margina began running track, basketball was her first passion.
“My teammates and coaches would always tell me that I was fast and I believed them,” Margina said. “With the knowledge that my aunt and dad were both elite track sprinters, I had the confidence I would be a good runner.”
She began her track career at Palmyra High School during her freshman year. Throughout high school, Margina had quite a few accomplishments. She was able to hold high school bests for the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes and she was only the third female in her county history to win the 100-meter title four years in a row.
“My greatest accomplishment [in high school] was being able to defend my 400-meter state title three years in a row,” Margina said.
When it came time to choose which college was the best pick for her, Margina picked Eastern Michigan University because of it’s track and field history. She also wanted to attend a school where she could impact the program and be supported by all the coaches.
“When being recruited, EMU gave me a sense of confidence that they had faith in me and that coming to this school would be a good choice for my future,” Margina said.
She recently earned an Academic All-Mid-American Conference award and was the only member of the team to make the Academic All-MAC team.
During last year’s indoor season, Margina snagged second place in the 55-meter dash at the Eagle/Rocket Holiday Meet and she also placed second in the 60-meter dash at the Bob Eubanks Open. Margina was also a member of the 4×100 relay team that landed in second place at the MAC Championships.
However, her greatest accomplishment at EMU was earning her first individual MAC title in the 60-meter during the 2010 indoor season.
“This was just the beginning in turning around our program and the next year we became Indoor MAC Champions,” Margina said.
In the future, Margina will continue to pursue running. It has always been a dream of hers to be a professional track and field athlete. When Margina isn’t on the track she enjoys listening to music and modeling.
“I enjoy a lot of things about this sport,” Margina said. “This sport is very competitive. One year you can be injured and not one of the best, but the next year you can be on top. Anything can happen in this sport and it’s just one of the things I enjoy most about this sport.”
