Athlete of the Week: Rachel Krasich

This week's Rose Thorn Athlete of the Week is senior chemical engineer Rachel Krasich. Krasich is a member of the cross-country team and the indoor and outdoor track team. This past fall, Krasich qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championship meet for cross-country, the first time any Rose female athlete has qualified to compete for the National cross-country title. She also currently holds the school record for the 3,000 meter steeplechase at 11:26.45. She also holds the records for the 5,000 meter (18:54) and 6,000 meter (22:06).

Rose Thorn: How long have you been running?

Rachel Krasich: Since 8th grade.

RT: What is your most memorable meet?

RK: It would either have to be Regionals this year or Conference my sophomore year. Regionals this year was a huge press for me, and the meet where I qualified for Nationals. I've never raced that hard before, so it was a great feeling. Conference sophomore year was in Conway, Arkansas. There wasn't a whole lot to do in Conway before the meet, so several of us found our own entertainment by looking for Halloween costumes in a Goodwill near the hotel. I have some quality pictures from that. A lot of people ran well at that meet as well, so it was an overall great trip.

RT: This past fall you competed in the NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country National Championship meet - the first female at Rose to do so. How does that make you feel?

RK: Getting to Nationals this year was great. It was something I worked for all summer and fall, but I knew it would still take a really good Regionals race to get there. So getting to go was amazing since there were no guarantees.

RT: What events do you run during the spring track season?

RK: Indoor track, I run pretty much anything distance: 3k, 1500, occasionally an 800. Outdoor, I run the steeplechase.

RT: Rose track and field is off to a great start this season. How far do you think you guys can go?

RK: We really are having a great track season so far. I think the guys have a great shot at Anderson this year as a team. For the girls it's a little more difficult since our team is so small, but we'll have several girls scoring and some winning their events, so we'll be competitive.

RT: How would you compare Rose's program to that of your high school?

RK: My high school program was a lot different. We had a much bigger team, which made the dynamics different. There's pros and cons to each though.

RT: How has participating in a varsity sport had an effect on your experience at Rose?

RK: Running has made a huge difference. Playing a varsity sport forces you to get more sleep, keep a normal schedule, etc. Since I had much less free time it forced me to get homework and projects done faster. Plus going to practice everyday was a great stress reliever; it gave me something else to focus on.

RT: Do you have any plans on staying involved in long-distance running after graduating?

RK: I definitely want to keep racing after Rose. I want to start doing marathons and minis, and I'm also hoping to jump into a few cross country races as an unattached runner. Even though I won't necessarily have a team, there are still a lot of benefits that running gives me that I don't want to give up.