Track star Emily Haley can tell one of those stories that makes you sit back and think a minute. And then say a little prayer of gratitude for the simple things taken for granted in day-to-day life.

Haley is half Irish and half German, with a few other smatterings of Old Europe thrown in for good measure. "But my grandma is Irish," Haley said proudly. "Her maiden name was Kern, and I was always under the impression that her family came over during the Potato Famine." Whatever the case, the fact remains that Haley is a remarkable young woman.

Haley, a 2000 graduate of Minnesota's University of St. Thomas, was chosen as the state's NCAA Woman of the Year for the 1999-2000 school year. To top that, she was also one of the top ten finalists for the NCAA National Woman of theYear.

What sets Haley apart is that as a high school senior she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Yet despite surgery and chemotherapy which left her weakened, she still made it to that year's high school state track meet. When asked about her condition now, Haley said, "It will be five years in January since I was diagnosed. That's the big milestone."

Those have been a very impressive years. After high school, she left her hometown of Chippewa Falls, Wis., to attend St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. There, she excelled not only at track and field but in academia as well -- earning a GPA of 3.9 in history and pre-med studies. On the track, Haley was twice an All-American in relays, a member of St. Thomas' 1997 NCAA Division III champion

4 x 100 relay team and a member of seven MIAC championship teams. She also lettered all four years in track and field and crosscountry and holds two university records: the indoor 4 x 400 and the outdoor sprint medley. Yet when Haley was asked how her family and friends react to all of her success, she only said humbly, "They are very proud, and very happy for me."

Haley does not have as much time to run these days, since she is wrapping up her first semester as a medical student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. "I still run everyday," she said, "I have classmates I run with, but it's not nearly at the same level as what I used to do."

As all of her collegiate eligibility was used as a undergraduate student, she won't able to compete for Wisconsin unless in a different sport. But Haley seemed content with her studies now.

When asked whether her experience as a cancer patient influenced her decision to become a doctor, Haley said, "I guess it probably solidified my decision in many ways, although I had been thinking about it already. It really made me realize from a patient's perspective what makes a good physician."