Marla Streb, a 1987 Mount graduate and retired mountain bike champion, is a professional trail planner. She is working with Mount officials to develop a 12-mile web of trails on the campus that would be open to the public.

"We have all this land," said Mike Malewicki, vice president for business and finance at the school. "We had a tragedy, and safety is high on our priority list."

DiNunzio was a senior at the college training for the Pittsburgh Marathon in April when a motorist struck and killed her while she was jogging. She was an experienced long-distance runner who was on Old Emmitsburg Road, not far from campus, when the accident happened. It was broad daylight, and the weather was clear. DiNunzio was not wearing an Ipod. She was running against the traffic, on the side of the road. It seemed like she was doing everything right.

Still, she was killed. It's a runner's nightmare.

This trail system would be a fitting memorial. At the same time, it would offer other runners and bikers what DiNunzio didn't have access to. That would be a 12-mile network of trails, a safe place to do short or long-distance training.

Streb visited the campus Friday, and toured the area that has been set aside for the trails. The initial, 12-mile trail system would be east of the main campus, surrounding the Knott Arena. Streb toured with officials from campus and from the town of Emmitsburg. The hope is eventually to extend the trail system to the west side of campus, and connect with town-owned land.

When Streb learned about DiNunzio's accident, she got in touch with university officials to offer her services. A college trail system would appeal to prospective students and nearby residents.

"It'd be a way to brand the Mount," Streb said. "It's a really nice way of connecting with the community. If there are good trails, people will come to a community."

Mountain bikers, she said, will travel to a place that offers good trails.

Although the first phase would be an easy trail that would be mostly flat, there will be some technical options for mountain bikers and runners. The college also owns land to the west of campus, and that could later be the site of some more challenging trails.

The trail surface would be natural, with a built-in drainage system that wouldn't be obvious to most trail users. Drainage is key to a good trail system, Streb said. "There are lots of techniques to shed water," she said. "You want to make it subtle. It shouldn't be noticeable."

Her philosophy of trail building is to make the trail as sustainable as possible. Streb, 44, has a master's degree in environmental science. She and her husband, Mark Fitzgerald, live in Costa Rica. Streb grew up in Baltimore and returns often to visit her mother. Streb and Fitzgerald have two children, ages 2 months and 3 years.

She gets her inspiration for trail designing from the jungles of Costa Rica. She is working with resorts to consider installing trails for visitors instead of golf courses. "Obviously, trails are very healthy, very green," she said.

The Mount trail would follow the contours of the land, with a few hills and creeks along the way. Landscaping would be kept mostly natural, although some plantings might take place, she said.

A trail system would offer the college a place for environmental studies and a place for students to meet and connect. There will also be a fitness course, Malewicki said.

"I spent four years here as a student staring out the window," Streb said. "With this, there really will be a place to go."