Sophomore student Haley Marie Radcliffe was nominated for “Athlete of the Week.” Congrats, Haley!

Radcliffe has been running cross country and track since 7th grade.

“I used to play soccer and I was pretty fast, but then I lost interest in playing. Then I thought I should try cross country and track to see if I liked that (running) more, and I just fell in love with the sport.”

Radcliffe runs the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) during the indoor track season.

“DMR is a relay race where each leg is a different distance. The DMR starts off with the 1200 meter. Next to come is the 400, 800, and 1600 meter races.”

Radcliffe runs the 800, where she can finish in 2 minutes and 46 seconds. Holy cow, that’s fast!

She said that she enjoys cross country slightly more than running track.

“I like longer distance races in general and cross country is where I can do that.”

But she adds, “I do love the relay races during the track season because I get to run along side my friends.”

When asked if she would recommend running track to other students, Radcliffe said, “Yeah! Track is a fun time where you can make memories with some really cool people. Anyone can join the team with any level of experience.”

In cross country, she can finish the 5k race in 21 minutes and 30 seconds. That’s scary fast!

“Everyone from each and every team is so supportive and nice during the race, which is one thing that makes cross country so unique from other sports.”

“The one thing that I can say I like most about cross country is the feeling you get when you cross the finish line. You feel refreshed and rewarded as you try and catch your breath,” she added.

Radcliffe said, “Of course cross country is always treated like a competition against the other teams, but most importantly, it’s a competition against yourself and how much you can push yourself.”

When asked who her motivation is during both track and cross country seasons, she said, “My motivation definitely would have to be my teammates. We all push each other to our best and help one another finish the race with confidence.”

“From the grass stains to the knee pains, running is my one true passion.”

Thank you Haley for the one-on-one interview with Hawk Eye! Don’t forget to cheer on and show your support to the cross country and track teams!

If you think you know a student that is an capable of taking on the challenges of being next week’s “Athlete of the Week,” please email me at [email protected], with your name, grade, and the person you want nominated for this award. We will have a different “Athlete of the Week” every Monday.