Strickland earns top Aggie honor
Editor’s note: Strickland was honored for the week ending March 22.
Utah Statesman: How does it feel to be named Athlete of the Week?
Tiffany Strickland: It’s fun. It was a nice honor, I’m surprised.
US: What did you do in preparation for the season?
TS: We’ve done lots of distance training. As far as the steeple chase goes, which is the race I run, we do hurdle drills every day. My indoor season also helped prep me for the start of the outdoor season.
US: What are your hobbies?
TS: I love to do hair, I love to do makeup, I don’t have a lot of spare time, but when I do I just like to sit around and relax.
US: What got you into track?
TS: I never ran track in high school, I just ran cross country in the fall, and then being on scholarship up here for cross country got me into track in the spring.
US: Did you play any other sports?
TS: I played softball in high school; that’s why I didn’t run track.
US: Who is your biggest motivator?
TS: There was a girl here last year, Melanie Marrick. We ran the same event, a lot of our training last year together really motivated me. She really motivated me to want to be better. She motivated me to be better every race.
US: Will your great times at Cal Poly and Stanford help push you for the rest of the season?
TS: I think they were good starter times, but hopefully I’ll be able to drop a little time off. But the Cal Poly time was pretty close to my best time last year, so it was a good start and a confidence builder, to pick up where I left off. I think it was a good start to the season, but hopefully I’ll be able to run a little bit faster than that.
US: What kind of music do you like?
TS: I love country music, Rascal Flatts is my all-time favorite, I saw them last year.
US: What do you like about Utah State?
TS: The people. I think there’s a lot of friendly people here. I like the atmosphere, because I really like the outdoors, and I like the hiking and the good running trails up here. I also like the atmosphere of a small town.
US: What are your aspirations for the rest of the season?
TS: Obviously, I hope to maybe shave off a few seconds every race. I’d like to qualify for regionals, try to improve every race, if not in time than at least in technique.
US: What would you like to do after USU?
TS: After USU, I hope to be an elementary teacher.
-bcb@cc.usu.edu