Fertig, a native of Conneaut, Ohio, was a two-time Northeast Conference First Team selection at Conneaut High School. The four-year letterwinner was also a regional qualifier as a senior as she was selected as her team’s Most Valuable Runner. She won the Grand Valley Dual Meet in a time of 23:01 and her personal best time at the 5K distance is 21:21. She was also selected as a Scholar-Athlete in the fall of 2008.

“I am excited about the addition of Hannah to our cross country program,” said MVNU coach Chip Wilson. “She is a very strong runner who will add depth and experience to our young team. She has shown that she can withstand the longer distances and compete well, and she also has the speed to start and finish races strong. She had an outstanding senior year where she earned all-conference honors and competed at a high level.”

“Along with running, Hannah has also done well in the classroom,” Wilson continued. “When an athlete has both running talent and performs well academically, it is a great combination. She will be a great asset to our program, and I look forward to seeing her succeed at the college level.”

In addition to running cross country, Fertig is a two-year member of National Honor Society and a four-year academic letterwinner. She was named the Optimist Club Student of the Month once and the Five Star Student of the Month once. She has also been involved in Teen Institute.

“I looked at a lot of different schools but ended up only visiting two with both being Christian schools,” said Fertig of her college choice. “MVNU became my choice as soon as I stepped on campus. I was so excited. When I attended chapel, when I had a tour of the campus, even speaking with professors and Coach Wilson, I felt a sense of welcome not only from the other students but everyone. At MVNU, I can see myself growing not only as a person, but as a Christian living for God.”

The MVNU cross country program was reborn in the fall of 2006 after not having a program since the 1979 season. The Lady Cougars have been competitive in their first three seasons back on the college cross country map as evidenced by the team’s results as MVNU finished 13th at the American Mideast Conference meet in 2008 and 17th at the National Christian College Athletic Association meet.