ST. IGNATIUS - High school can keep kids busy with homework,

sports and extra curricular activities. However, when it comes to

junior Ashley Courville, things are taken to a whole different

level.

ST. IGNATIUS - High school can keep kids busy with homework, sports and extra curricular activities. However, when it comes to junior Ashley Courville, things are taken to a whole different level.

The 5'7" outside hitter not only helped the Lady Bulldogs to their best finish ever in the postseason but also placed 19th in the state cross country meet this year.

"If you were going to look up the definition of athlete, they'd have a picture of her," Mission head coach Kendal Anderson said.

During her freshman season of volleyball, Courville moved up from the c-team all the way to varsity.

"I was really, really nervous," Courville said. "I was one of the kids that didn't know the upperclassmen."

Courville has since ascended to become team captain. The Lady Bulldogs swept through the district tournament this year, beating the regular season champion, Eureka, twice and the second place team, Bigfork, once.

Courville wasn't just playing volleyball during that time though, she was also running cross country and was the Lady Bulldogs best runner throughout the season.

Anderson said that the junior is multi-talented on the volleyball court.

"If Ashley is on the court at any position, I'm comfortable," Anderson said.

Having seen her brother compete in the sport of cross country, Courville was inspired to run also. When Mission offered the sport for the first time, she literally jumped at the opportunity. Although that may have been due to an encounter with wildlife during some of the first few practices in cross country.

"I saw a snake and screamed so loud that I scared the crud out of everybody," Courville said.

Courville sent out a Facebook request during the first few days of practice to get four other girls to join the cross country team.

"Not only is she a true athlete but she's also a leader," Anderson said. Despite playing varsity volleyball for two years, Courville was still nervous for her first cross country meet."

I forgot my socks and I ended up getting a super bad blister," Courville.

One look at Courville's schedule shows that it will take a lot more than a blister to slow her down. She wakes up at 4 a.m. to do homework before cross country practice at 6 a.m.

After school, Courville then goes to volleyball practice.

"I remember we were at Troy and she asked if she could go on a run and warm up before a game," Anderson said.

Asked what she found the most challenging mentally, Courville said it was cross country.

"I'd always feel good the first mile and half, but the last mile and a half was al-ways the toughest mentally," Courville said.

Along with doing her school sports, Courville is also training for her black belt in Taekwondo.

"She's got the right attitude where she gives everything she participates in her all and it shows," Mission cross country coach Patrick Murphy said.

Right now, she's enjoying a brief lull in the action between fall and winter sports.

"This weekend was the first actual rest I got," Courville said.

She also wants to go out for track this season as she thinks she'll do well in the distance events. That's after basketball season, though, as practice starts on Nov. 22.

"I guess it will keep me going," Courville said.