Roo Senior Spotlight: Marcus Johnson and Halley Dean
4/9/2020 7:00:00 AM | Cross Country, General, Track and Field
Cross Country / Track & Field pair featured
Marcus Johnson is a senior runner specializing in distance events and the steeplechase. At the 2019 WAC Outdoor Championships, Johnson claimed fourth-place in the 3000-meter steeplechase and eighth in the 5,000-meters.
1.   Tell us the story behind what made you decide to become a Kansas City Roo.
I decided to become a Kansas City Roo after my visit as a recruit. Going in, I did not know what to expect. Spending time with the team was extremely appealing. They picked me up and drove me to a bowling alley where we spent several hours talking, laughing, and bowling, then went to get ice cream. It hit me that the guys I was with genuinely enjoyed my company and cared to learn more about me; nothing felt forced. I truly connected with these individuals. When I left my visit, I decided I wanted to be a Roo.
2.   What is your best memory from your time as a student-athlete attending Kansas City?
My best memory from my time as a student-athlete attending Kansas City was winning WAC Cross Country Championships at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Despite being up late the night before doing homework and having a potential injury, I raced with the team and came out with a personal record on the other side. On top of that, we won the championship for the second year in-a-row.Â
3.   Do you have any advice for your younger teammates or recruits that are looking at coming to KC?
My advice to my younger teammates or potential recruits is to never forget your reason for coming to UMKC. Things will not always be easy or fun, but there is a reason you decided to attend and compete here. Let that be your anchor, your motivation, your determination to never give up.
4.   What are your plans after you graduate/leave KC?
After I graduate, it is my desire to start a business venture in either the restaurant industry or running-shoe industry. While quite different spectrums, if I remain in the United States, I aspire to purse the restaurant entity in Kansas City to add to the already diverse restaurant culture. If I move international, I want to bring and/or build a running culture in the respective region.
5.   Where is your favorite place to eat in Kansas City? What do you get there?
My favorite place to eat in Kansas City is Zócalo. Whether after a meet or a long work shift with some teammates, we can listen to music and get good food including the best chips and salsa I have ever had. Â
6.   What is one unique/special talent you have that no one knows about except maybe your family?
One unique talent I have is I can do handstand pushups. I am not yet able to do them without being up against a wall, but we are getting there.
What assistant coach Brett Guemmer has to say about Johnson:
"Marcus has done a great deal for this team and university. Aside from his leadership in the Student-Athlete Leadership Cabinet (SALC), he has helped lead our team for the last five years. He is extremely selfless. The second fastest steeplechaser in school history also had the races we needed in the 2016 and 2017 WAC Cross Country Championships to help the team bring home the titles. We would not have two team titles without Marcus Johnson."
Hally Dean is a senior distance runner on the cross country and track and field teams. In the indoor season-opening event, Dean won the 5,000-meters setting a new personal best with a time of 17:02.61. At the 2019 WAC Cross Country Championships, she came in 18th-place overall.
1. Tell us the story behind what made you decide to become a Kansas City Roo.
I transferred last minute, at semester from my previous school. UMKC had always been on my radar as a Division I school here in Kansas City and after talking with assistant coach Guemmer I was sold.
2. What is your best memory from your time as a student-athlete attending Kansas City?
It's hard to pick just one, but this year we decided to extend our cross country season and run an early indoor 5k. Three of my teammates and I all ran personal bests and put our names in the Kansas City track record book. What was a breakthrough performance for all of us that day was the culmination of hundreds of miles together and all the ups and downs along the way.
3. Do you have any advice for your younger teammates or recruits that are looking at coming to KC?
I would encourage them to lean on their coaching staff, teammates, the UMKC community and the city itself. Surround themselves with like-minded people and build each other up. Finally, I would say believe in your own potential and cherish every moment.
4. What are your plans after you graduate/leave KC?
I have loved my time at the Bloch School of Business and plan to stay in Kansas City and pursue a career in operations management.
5. Where is your favorite place to eat in Kansas City? What do you get there?
Fettuccine Alfredo from Cupini's always hits the spot. Cupini's is a go-to gathering place for our team with amazing homemade pasta and cheesecake.
6. What is one unique/special talent you have that no one knows about except maybe your family?
I can eat a Chipotle burrito faster than I can run 800-meters.
What assistant coach Brett Guemmer has to say about Dean:
"Halley has been a great athlete for us during her time here at UMKC. Since transferring in, she has been a leader on the team. She has shown younger athletes it is possible to bounce back from injuries and run extremely fast. She is currently the second fastest 5k runner in school history. She holds everyone on the cross country team accountable, including myself."
1.   Tell us the story behind what made you decide to become a Kansas City Roo.
I decided to become a Kansas City Roo after my visit as a recruit. Going in, I did not know what to expect. Spending time with the team was extremely appealing. They picked me up and drove me to a bowling alley where we spent several hours talking, laughing, and bowling, then went to get ice cream. It hit me that the guys I was with genuinely enjoyed my company and cared to learn more about me; nothing felt forced. I truly connected with these individuals. When I left my visit, I decided I wanted to be a Roo.
2.   What is your best memory from your time as a student-athlete attending Kansas City?
My best memory from my time as a student-athlete attending Kansas City was winning WAC Cross Country Championships at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Despite being up late the night before doing homework and having a potential injury, I raced with the team and came out with a personal record on the other side. On top of that, we won the championship for the second year in-a-row.Â
3.   Do you have any advice for your younger teammates or recruits that are looking at coming to KC?
My advice to my younger teammates or potential recruits is to never forget your reason for coming to UMKC. Things will not always be easy or fun, but there is a reason you decided to attend and compete here. Let that be your anchor, your motivation, your determination to never give up.
4.   What are your plans after you graduate/leave KC?
After I graduate, it is my desire to start a business venture in either the restaurant industry or running-shoe industry. While quite different spectrums, if I remain in the United States, I aspire to purse the restaurant entity in Kansas City to add to the already diverse restaurant culture. If I move international, I want to bring and/or build a running culture in the respective region.
5.   Where is your favorite place to eat in Kansas City? What do you get there?
My favorite place to eat in Kansas City is Zócalo. Whether after a meet or a long work shift with some teammates, we can listen to music and get good food including the best chips and salsa I have ever had. Â
6.   What is one unique/special talent you have that no one knows about except maybe your family?
One unique talent I have is I can do handstand pushups. I am not yet able to do them without being up against a wall, but we are getting there.
What assistant coach Brett Guemmer has to say about Johnson:
"Marcus has done a great deal for this team and university. Aside from his leadership in the Student-Athlete Leadership Cabinet (SALC), he has helped lead our team for the last five years. He is extremely selfless. The second fastest steeplechaser in school history also had the races we needed in the 2016 and 2017 WAC Cross Country Championships to help the team bring home the titles. We would not have two team titles without Marcus Johnson."
Hally Dean is a senior distance runner on the cross country and track and field teams. In the indoor season-opening event, Dean won the 5,000-meters setting a new personal best with a time of 17:02.61. At the 2019 WAC Cross Country Championships, she came in 18th-place overall.
1. Tell us the story behind what made you decide to become a Kansas City Roo.
I transferred last minute, at semester from my previous school. UMKC had always been on my radar as a Division I school here in Kansas City and after talking with assistant coach Guemmer I was sold.
2. What is your best memory from your time as a student-athlete attending Kansas City?
It's hard to pick just one, but this year we decided to extend our cross country season and run an early indoor 5k. Three of my teammates and I all ran personal bests and put our names in the Kansas City track record book. What was a breakthrough performance for all of us that day was the culmination of hundreds of miles together and all the ups and downs along the way.
3. Do you have any advice for your younger teammates or recruits that are looking at coming to KC?
I would encourage them to lean on their coaching staff, teammates, the UMKC community and the city itself. Surround themselves with like-minded people and build each other up. Finally, I would say believe in your own potential and cherish every moment.
4. What are your plans after you graduate/leave KC?
I have loved my time at the Bloch School of Business and plan to stay in Kansas City and pursue a career in operations management.
5. Where is your favorite place to eat in Kansas City? What do you get there?
Fettuccine Alfredo from Cupini's always hits the spot. Cupini's is a go-to gathering place for our team with amazing homemade pasta and cheesecake.
6. What is one unique/special talent you have that no one knows about except maybe your family?
I can eat a Chipotle burrito faster than I can run 800-meters.
What assistant coach Brett Guemmer has to say about Dean:
"Halley has been a great athlete for us during her time here at UMKC. Since transferring in, she has been a leader on the team. She has shown younger athletes it is possible to bounce back from injuries and run extremely fast. She is currently the second fastest 5k runner in school history. She holds everyone on the cross country team accountable, including myself."
Players Mentioned
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