Q&A WITH LIZ

Q: What is something you learned about yourself during the unique COVID year?

I gained a new appreciation for how much I truly enjoy the small social moments in my everyday life. Chatting with my teammates and coaches in our track office before practice, talking to my classmates on the way to class, running into teachers and staff members on campus, and eating meals in the dining hall with my friends are a few of moments in my everyday life that I may have taken for granted prior to COVID. While COVID was a difficult time in many ways, one positive outcome that I gained from this time period was a new appreciation for the time I spend with the wonderful people in my life. I learned that if you surround yourself with kind and supportive people, you will find laughter and smiles in all moments of life.

Because my friends, coaches, family, classmates, and professors all positively impact me every-single day, I realized that I have the ability to positively impact others too. I learned that the impact of my actions, even something as small as a smile, can have a positive outcome on the people I encounter daily. From patients, to classmates, to my roommates, and even the strangers I pass on my runs, my actions, no matter how small they seem, can be impactful. This was a powerful realization for me and motivates me to be my best self everyday.

Q: Who or What has been your biggest inspiration or motivation?

My biggest inspiration is my older sister, Grace, who is the reason I started running in the first place. She embodies the value of hard work and competitiveness while also maintaining a strong love of the sport. My other sisters, Eleanor and Christine, also inspire me. Running is a sport of highs and lows and my sisters are the people who have helped me maintain my love of the sport, even when I have experienced lows. They always bring out the fun in competition, and have taught me to enjoy the journey as much as the destination when it comes to practice and racing.

Q: What was the hardest obstacle you faced as a student-athlete?

The hardest obstacle I’ve faced as a student-athlete is balancing running with my nursing education. Both training and studying can be grueling. For example, I struggled to squeeze in my runs when I did my clinical rotations- which encompass a 12 and a half hour day of non-stop emotional and physical work of caring for patients. I was exhausted when I arrived home after these days, and oftentimes would drink coffee and then run on the treadmill because it was too dark to run outside. As I have grown as an athlete and student, I have learned how to listen to and prioritize my own needs just as I do with the needs of my patients. This means that when I am especially tired after a clinical rotation, I take the day off of running and get some much-needed sleep. I then train harder other days in the week.

Q: What was your favorite class/professor and why?

My favorite class was pathophysiology because I loved learning about what happens to the body at the cellular level when it is injured or sick. Like most student-athletes, sometimes my body gets run-down, and then becomes fatigued which can lead to sickness and injury. To learn how this cycle can affect the smallest molecules in the body is not only fascinating, but has helped me strengthen my body.

I have loved all of my professors at La Salle and every professor I have had for class was incredibly hardworking and passionate about teaching. My favorite professor is probably Dr. Monforto, who taught me in Pediatrics and Genetics. In addition to being a phenomenal teacher, she was a student-athlete at Georgetown, and gave me great advice on balancing nursing and running.

Q: What would you consider the top moment of your college career?

My college career has been filled with many special moments both on and off the track. I have been blessed with amazing coaches and teammates that have made the entire journey special and enjoyable. If I had to pick just one moment, it would probably be this year’s East Regional meet when I qualified for NCAA finals in the 5k. In track and field, the top 12 finishers at the NCAA Regional meet qualify for the NCAA final in Eugene, Oregon. I had been ranked 47th out of 48 in the Region, and knew it would take my best performance to move on to the final. It was both shocking and exhilarating when I crossed the line having run my best time ever to earn an automatic-qualifying spot in the final. It was even more special because my parents, sisters, coaches, and teammates were there waiting to celebrate when I crossed the line.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received? The worst?

I have received the same advice from a couple different people in slightly different words, but the main message was the same: to race instinctively. A lot of my bad races have come from overthinking, or focusing on something other than getting out there and racing hard. Overthinking about racing strategies or other things only distracts me from the most important component of a good race: racing tough. Coach Tom, my sisters, and my dad offered me this great advice- sometimes in slightly different words- by encouraging me to race instinctively.

Q: What is something you wish more people knew about you?

I love to read! A few of my favorite books include the Harry Potter series, the Book Thief, and UnBroken. A great running book about mental toughness that I often reread is “How Bad Do You Want it?” by Matt Fitzgerald.