First Time A College Team Has Won Overall Top Honors
When the final calculations were finished at the end of this
year's Air Race Classic ... the all-women transcontinental national
air race ... a team representing Jacksonville University in
Jacksonville, FL, emerged as the first university team to take
overall top honors in the event.
JU Senior Leah Hetzel and 2010 graduate Sarah Morris not only
beat out the 11 other participating collegiate teams but they also
bested all 50 teams made up of the top female pilots in the nation.
Forty-three teams finished the race. Hetzel and Morris discovered
they had won at an awards banquet Saturday in Mobile, AL.
“This is pretty incredible,” said Hetzel. “We
just kept jumping up and down and screaming when we found out we
were number one. And then hearing that we were the first collegiate
team to do it was just amazing.”
The win was especially rewarding to the pair who had competed in
the Classic only a year ago and finished 14th out of 51 teams.
“We were a lot more comfortable and confident this
year,” said Morris. “We applied more of what we learned
in class and studied the actions of the previous
winners.”
Hetzel and Morris did, however, run into bad weather as half the
race was cancelled due to storms. The race, which was supposed to
begin in Iowa City, Iowa, was relocated to Alliance, Neb. They
finished the race in Mobile, AL. Hetzel and Morris say that they
hope to see more women aviation majors from JU enter the contest,
where they will be ready to pass on all of their secrets and tricks
for success.
“I am so proud of these two women,” said Dr. Juan
Merkt, director of aviation. “Their professionalism and
dedication to learning and excelling in their craft are what make
these two true winners. I would also like to thank our sponsors:
Aerosim Flight Academy, Michael McKenny, the JU Aviation Advisory
Board and our Women in Aviation Chapter who have made this
historical accomplishment possible.”
Hetzel will be graduating this summer with her degree in
aviation management and flight operations after completing one of
the most sought-after internships with Delta Air Lines. She is the
former president of JU’s Women in Aviation chapter and the
founder of JU’s highly successful “Women in Aviation
Speaker Series.” She is also a member of Alpha Omicron Alpha
Aeronautical Honor Society, the national organization dedicated to
recognizing student leaders and promoting safety among collegiate
flight programs. Her career goal is to become an airline pilot.
Morris graduated summa cum laude this year also with a degree in
aviation management and flight operations. She was named the
2010-11 top Aviation Management & Flight Operations and DCOB
senior and received the President’s Award for Outstanding
Leadership for her academic, leadership and service
accomplishments. She was co-captain of the JU Flight Team and
became the nation’s top scoring female at the 2010 National
Intercollegiate Flying Association's (NIFA) Safety and Evaluation
Conference (SAFECON). Morris plans to earn her FAA Airframe
and Powerplant license and use her aviator and airplane maintenance
skills to become a missionary pilot.
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