Like her sister, she dominated girls' distance running nationally in the 1970s. For more than 30 years she and her sister, Julie, held the top girls' distance records in North Carolina. As a senior in high school in 1979, she won the U.S. Outdoor Championship in the 10,000 meters in a then-American and U.S. High School record of 32 minutes, 52.5 seconds (it is still the national high school and North Carolina record). Her 3,000-meter best of 9:13.56 is also a North Carolina record and is 8th all-time nationally. At one point, she held three national high school records and an overall American record (10,000 meters). 

Mary is a 4-time state outdoor track champion, winning the 2-mile in 1978 (and setting a then-national record of 10:17.5), and pulling off the rare distance triple in 1979 (winning the 880 yards, Mile and 2-mile, and setting a then-national record of 10:08.4 in the 2-mile). Incredibly, more than 40 years later, her 10:08.4 in the 2-mile is the best ever run at the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state meet (the fastest 3,200 meters, which is 18 meters short of 2 miles, is nearly 10 seconds slower, at 10:17.70). 

At N.C. State, she helped the Wolfpack to 2 national titles (1979, 1980) and was the first N.C. State runner to win The Athletics Congress (TAC) national title (1980). She was also an All-American (1980), and a 2-time All-ACC performer (1979, 1980). She is a member of the Cardinal Gibbons Athletics Hall of Fame, the Cardinal Gibbons Alumni Hall of Fame, the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Cross Country team, and the NCHSAA’s “100 to Remember” female athletes.