Q&A WITH RACHEL

Q: What are three words your teammates would use to describe you, and why?

I think three words my teammates would use to describe me are reliable, relentless, and a dilly-dallier. Reliable because I always try my best to be there for my teammates. Especially on race days I always try to bring the positive vibes like I do during practice and which helps to not let peoples nerves get to them. Relentless because I always give 100% in training and with my team at meets no matter the circumstances. Finally, a dilly-dallier because even though I am always working hard, there is time to mess around and have fun as a team. When I’m not training my teammates definitely know me to be relaxed and having a good time, and never in a rush to leave, because I’m a dilly-dallier!

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

While all of the professors I had at the University of Richmond were great, my favorite class was Cancer Biology with Dr. Dan Pierce. I really enjoyed this class because it brought together many of the ideas I learned in other classes but used many real-world applications. We did a lot of unique activities and group work that I always really enjoyed and learned a lot from. It also was extremely powerful to get an in-depth understanding of something that has come to affect so many people. I am looking forward to taking this knowledge into pharmacy school where I hope to help people dealing with these struggles.

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

I definitely look up to a lot of different people and have always looked to find new ways to push and motivate myself. But, through everything, my dad has always been there. He has always pushed me and supported me to be the best version of myself. He always gives me the best advice and never fails to make me laugh!

Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of?

The accomplishment I’m most proud of is getting into a top pharmacy school while being a student-athlete. Getting into pharmacy school has always been a goal of mine and I’m so happy I was able to do that while also competing at a high level in track and field. I am super thankful for the rigorous academics that Richmond provided me with in order to prepare me to get accepted into school as well as to continue my journey of becoming a pharmacist.

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

The top moment of my athletic career is definitely something hard to pinpoint. I immediately think about the relays I ran throughout my career. I always really enjoyed running relays because it brings a team aspect to a mostly individualized sport. Knowing your teammates are counting on you always pushed me to run my absolute best. Placing 6th at Penn Relays with my 4x800 team this year in such an amazing field was definitely a top moment. But if I had to choose just one it would be the Outdoor A10 Championship in 2021 when my 4x400 team won the event for the first time as a school! It was a huge moment of pride for myself as well as current and past teammates as they helped set the stage for that success we had.

Q: If someone wrote a biography about you, what would the title be?

“Best of Both Worlds”

Not to rip off Hannah Montana but I am really proud of the way that I have been able to balance both academics and athletics. This is something I’ve always done throughout my life and it has brought me so much joy in so many ways. While this was not easy, especially making the jump from high school to college, it was more than worth it. Looking back at my experiences, I really feel as though I made the most of everything I was involved in!

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

This has been such an interesting past few years and I think everyone learned a lot about themselves. Something I learned about myself was how much I truly love the competitive aspect of track and field and to never take that or anything for granted. Fortunately for this sport, you don’t need any special equipment, facilities, or really anyone to be able to continue running and training. As much as I love training and always trying to better myself, I found that I really had to find new ways to motivate myself. As a very competitive person, I realized how much the competition from my teammates during practice and other athletes during meets pushed me and how much I enjoy that aspect of the sport.