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Sarah Aldrich click image to enlarge

By Rama Peroo
Cowley College

Coming to Cowley College from Lamont, Okla., Sarah Aldrich did not know much about Arkalalah. That is about to change as she is one of the five finalists for Queen Alalah LXXV.

Crowning will take place at 8 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Robert Brown Theatre on Cowley's Arkansas City campus.

Aldrich, a sophomore, was shocked to find out she was one of the finalists.

"I was really excited when I found out; I was screaming," Aldrich said. "When Shannon (O'Toole) gave me the flowers, I gave her a hug I was so excited."

Last year was the first time she experienced the Arkalalah festivities.

"As soon as I saw all of the excitement I knew I wanted to be involved in it," Aldrich said.

Aldrich, the daughter of Jim and Paula Aldrich, is majoring in business quality management. She has an older sister, Whitney Waffle, 22, who lives in Tonkawa, Okla.

Grandparents are, Raymond and Helen Aldrich, of Lamont, Okla., and Shirley Alexander and the late Herman Alexander of Ponca City, Okla. Her great-grandmother is Gladys Ramsey, of Ponca City, Okla.

In high school, Aldrich competed in track, basketball and softball. She also served as the football team's manager and trainer. She was the state champion in the shot put her junior year and was the state runner-up twice.

Aldrich considered playing basketball down the road in Winfield for Southwestern College, but decided to come to Cowley to compete in track and field.

"I'm thrilled I made the choice to come to Cowley," Aldrich said. "I love it, it has been so much fun and I have met so many different people."

Aldrich was a member of last year's Lady Tiger track and field team that captured their first ever Jayhawk East indoor title and garnered a sixth place finish at the NJCAA Indoor National Champion-ships.

She also was a member of last year's outdoor track and field team that won the conference title by a staggering 129 points, and placed ninth at the NJCAA Outdoor National Champion-ships.

Aldrich competes in the throws events for the Lady Tiger track and field team, and will also be competing in the pentathlon, which involves the shot put, high jump, long jump, 60-meter hurdles and the 800-meter run.

"I'm pretty pumped about the season and look forward to having some fun," Aldrich said.

Along with being a member of the track and field team, Aldrich is also involved in Phi Beta Lambda.

In her free time, Aldrich enjoys hunting and fishing. She went on her first hunting trip with her father when she was just three years old, and got her first deer when she was 11.

The business quality management major would like to someday own a hunting lodge.

"It would be a place for families where people could go hunt with a guide, and there would be other activities for people to do that don't hunt," Aldrich said.

Aldrich will need one more semester to graduate from Cowley after this school year is over, so she plans on staying another year at the school.

"I am just going to stay a whole third year and enjoy it," Aldrich said.

She also plans on enjoying the coronation ceremony.

"I'm a little nervous, but I think it will be so exciting that I will just breeze right through it."