By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech men's and women's cross country will celebrate the memory of former Golden Eagle student-athlete Anna Cooper with a special purple ribbon during the Commodore Classic on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Percy Warner Park in Nashville.

The Golden Eagles will premiere the ribbons during Saturday's competition, displaying them on the right side of their uniforms. Following the Commodore Classic, Tech will continue to display the ribbons during their competitions for the remainder of the season. The purple color is used to represent rare forms of cancer.

Cooper was a May 2018 graduate of Tennessee Tech University, earning a degree in human ecology with a concentration in nutrition and dietetics. She had an impactful four-year career with the Golden Eagle cross country and track & field teams, helping lead Tech to its first-ever OVC indoor and outdoor track & field titles in 2018.

Academically, Cooper was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll eight times, in addition to earning Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll recognition four times, and was honored her senior year with the OVC Medal of Honor.

In addition to her competitions and studies, she was also active in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was instrumental in the creation of the Backpack Buddies initiative that helped provided meals for over 1,000 underprivileged youth in Cookeville and the Upper Cumberland.

Upon her graduation, Cooper was accepted into a MS/Dietetic internship program at East Tennessee State. Just months later, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and underwent treatment at Nicewonder Care Center at Bristol Regional Hospital, then went to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston to continue treatment.

She is survived by her parents Todd and Jennifer, brothers Ryan and Liam, and fiancé Daniel Williamson, who was also a Tech student-athlete with the men's cross country program.

Photos by Thomas Corhern and Jonathan Caudle