In honor of Valentine’s Day this month, the Student-Athlete Alumni Spotlight will present profiles of couples made up of Belmont student-athletes. 

Our first one features cross country/track and field athletes Megan and Kevin Stone.  Both Megan and Kevin competed in cross country and track for Belmont from 2004-2008.  Megan (Saunders) Stone was a four-time A-Sun All-Academic honoree and helped her cross country team win three A-Sun titles.  Kevin earned All-Conference honors in both cross country and track and was a member of four conference championship teams.  They recently spoke to BelmontBruins.com about their time as a Bruin and their current life in Atlanta.

Why did you choose Belmont?
Megan:   Belmont has a stellar nursing program that I was automatically enrolled in when I gained admittance to the University. I also earned a scholarship to run track and cross country. The nursing department not only allowed student athletes into their program but worked with my hectic schedule (which is unique for nursing programs)

Kevin:  I enjoyed running and rock & roll!

What is your fondest athletic memory at Belmont?
Megan:   I ran a 5000m PR (personal record) at Duke Invitational my junior year and had two of my teammates around me the whole race. Also my family was there to witness my PR!

Kevin:  My 10,000 meter PR at Duke. It was 25 laps of joy.

Who had the biggest influence on you during your athletic career at Belmont and how?
Megan:   My roommate, teammate, and best friend in college, Elizabeth Smothers (Mockmore). I admired her love for Jesus Christ, her academic talent, and boy could she run fast! It was because of Liz that I stayed on the straight and narrow path in every aspect of my college life.

Kevin:  My coach and teammates had the biggest impact during my time at Belmont.

What is the most valuable thing you gained or learned from your time at Belmont?
Megan: My nursing degree. With this degree, I went on to earn a master’s degree in anesthesia. I am now a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). Best job ever!

Kevin:  The most valuable thing I gained from Belmont is my wife!

What advice would you give to current members of the cross country/track and field team?
Megan:  Enjoy the convenience of having teammates! Once you graduate, it’s hard to find people who love to run as much as you and it’s not as convenient to get with those who do!

Kevin:  “Be free and laugh loud.” Kipkosgei Magut, 2006 (former Belmont runner)

Who was your favorite professor and why?
Megan:  Dr. Dahlgren! She was my professor for critical care in the nursing department. She taught while also working in the ICU. Because of this, she was able to incorporate real life clinical situations from the ICU into classroom teaching/research. It made the information easy to learn.

Kevin:  Dr. Giordano — psychology genius! He inspired me to major in psychology at Belmont.

Where do you live now?
Atlanta, GA

Who is your employer?
Megan:   I work for Emory Hospital as a CRNA. I administer anesthesia for all kinds of surgical procedures. I deliver anesthesia to all ages, from 9 month olds to 99 year olds.

Kevin:  I am an attorney at Freeman, Mathis, & Gary in Atlanta — Fighting for truth and justice!

Tell us about your family.
Megan & Kevin: We have a 7 year old cat named Sofie.  We also have lots of nieces and nephews that we like to feed candy, let them run wild, and then send back home to their parents.

Tell us how you met your spouse at Belmont.
We met early freshman year as the girls and guys cross country teams hung out together. The dialogue below is from the movie “When Harry Met Sally” and sums up our relationship until we married in 2010.

“Harry: The first time we met, we hated each other.
Sally: No, you didn’t hate me, I hated you. And the second time we met, you didn’t even remember me.
Harry: I did too, I remembered you. The third time we met, we became friends.
Sally: We were friends for a long time.
Harry: And then we weren’t.
Sally: And then we fell in love.”