Despite not being the most recognizable or celebrated athletes on The Bluff, the Pilots track team is quietly finding recent success and a few discuss why competing at the best level is important to t
Mellisa Baller (Stephanie Matusiefsky | THE BEACON)
By Katie Dunn, Staff Writer dunn16@up.edu
Mark Roetcisoender
Sophomore, Sprinter, Communications, Walk-on
Why did you choose UP?
It's a really good school and the coach contacted me and expressed and interest in me coming here. I liked the academics and the opportunity to run Division I track.
What is the best part of running?
The best part is the actual race with the competition and adrenaline. It's even better when you win, but just improving and pushing yourself. I like the competition because it's you against everyone else, but it's also you against yourself. There are a lot of opportunities to improve.
What is the hardest part?
It's a lot of time and a lot of running. We have practice every day so there are a lot of hours you put in throughout the year so balancing that with school. Plus since I'm a sprinter, my races are at the most about 50 seconds so you put in all that time for 50 seconds and you have to get it right. That can be difficult if you don't do well because then you have to try and come back and keep going.
What is a day of practice like?
We have warm-up and then it depends on the day usually, but we'll either do some block starts or some power stuff like leg pulls, then we have a workout where we do 200s or 150s to get speed in and then cool down. Sometimes we have weights too.
How do you get ready for a race?
I warm up, do some strides and drills. I get in the mentality of 'I'm going to do the best I can and it doesn't really matter what everyone else does, I'm just going to do the best I can. 'If I do as well as I can then I know I'll do fine with regards to everyone else. I don't worry about what other people do I just worry about myself.
What is your motivation to run?
It's just something that I do. It helps that my team is so much fun to spend time with and work out with, so it's fun to keep improving.
Julia Fonk
Red-shirt sophomore, Distance, Psychology major, On athletic scholarship
Why did you choose UP?
In high school I really wanted to come to a Division I school to run. I'm from Portland so I like the city a lot and they have good academics.
What is the best part of running?
Well, the thing we train for so long is the feeling after a race. You fell so accomplished after a good race after putting in all that effort and getting a good result. Also, being with teammates and all my best friends are on the team.
What is the hardest part?
Racing can be really intimidating and scary sometimes, but at the same time that's what it's all about. It's hard to get out there everyday and run even when you don't feel good but you know you have to.
What is a day of practice like?
Each day is different. Mondays and Wednesdays we'll usually do one or two easy runs then we'll meet to do core and stretch and drills. Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually workouts so we'll go to the track and do intervals. Then Sundays are normally long runs so we'll do between 11 and 15 miles.
How do you get ready for a race?
The whole day I'm hydrating and eating certain foods that will sit well. Before, we usually warm up an hour before the race: a 20-minute run, stretching and drills. The whole day you're thinking about it and trying not to get too nervous and concentrating on the race plan.
Melissa Baller
Sophomore, Sprinter, Nursing major, On athletic scholarship
Why did you choose UP?
I wanted to pursue nursing and I also wanted to run track and UP provided both.
What is the best part of running?
It helps me clear my head and it's something that I really enjoy whether it's competitive or just for fun. It's my number one thing I would do out of anything else.
What is the hardest part?
If it's a competition then it's the stress that I get because I want to do good and I want to get a Personal Record and I want to win and if I don't then it's like 'Oh no!'
Do you have a ritual?
I always don't match my socks.
What is your motivation to run?
It's a goal for me to achieve. Every time I run I always set a goal for myself and I always try to achieve it.
How hard is balancing school and running?
It definitely is, especially being a nursing major. I'm freaking out already and it's not even my junior year yet. It's a very time consuming sport so it's hard to balance the two.
Jared Bassett
Red-shirt senior, Distance, Nursing major, On athletic scholarship
Why did you choose UP?
I wanted to go to a really strong long distance program and a school that was really well focused on academics. I didn't know what I wanted to do as a freshman, but I knew it was really strong academically.
What is the best part of running?
The self-satisfaction that you get from knowing you put in all the work yourself and that everything that you've achieved is based on the work that you've done. You see the results of all the long miles and training.
What is the hardest part?
Probably the same thing, the work you put in and the mental aspect. Pounding your body every day, getting used to that and making it part of your routine. You have to sacrifice things that you might want to do that you can't when you're training.
How do you get ready for a race?
Day before I run easy, do some strides, hydrate and do a lot of stretching and foam rolling. Day of I relax and treat it like any other day.
What is your motivation to run?
I want to get as good as I can get. My ultimate goal is to run post-collegiately and be a sponsored runner at some point.
Mark Roetcisoender (Stephanie Matusiefsky | THE BEACON)
Julia Fonk (Stephanie Matusiefsky | THE BEACON)
Jarred Basset (Stephanie Matusiefsky | THE BEACON)
