Track standout named athlete of the week
Utah Statesman: You won the 3000 meter steeplechase at the UCLA Invitational, how was that?
Tiffany Strickland: It was good. It felt good and hard. [But] it didn’t go as good as last time.
US: You got a personal best time of 10:56, which is the NCAA Regional Qualifying mark, how was that?
TS: That was kind of my season goal, so I was really happy that I barely made it. I’m going to do more steeplechases and hopefully be able to improve on that.
US: How long have been running and why did you start?
TS: I ran through high school, cross country, not really track. [I ran because] I really liked the feeling you get when you’re done running, all the hard work, you feel like you’ve accomplished something. Why the steeplechase? I don’t know, because my coach told me to. But I probably enjoy it more than any other race.
US: Why did you decide to come to USU?
TS: It’s pretty much the only school I wanted to go to, running or no running, and my older sister went here. They have a good elementary education [program] which is kind of what I’m thinking of going into. I came here on a recruitment trip and I liked the girls a lot, I was really impressed by the coaches and it was a good environment.
US: Besides running, what are your other hobbies?
TS: I really like the outdoors, I like girly things [like] hair and makeup. My family plays hockey together and I really like that.
US: How did you prepare for this season?
TS: Our indoor season training. We do a lot of distance running, like 60-minute runs. Around the end of February we start interval work. We do hurdle drills to strengthen our hips and get us ready for going over the hurdles.
US: What are your expectations for the rest of the season?
TS: I would like to improve on my time and get a lot of practice.
US: If you could go one place in the world, anywhere, where would it be and why?
TS: I’d like to go to Cancun because I’ve heard that there are beautiful beaches and it’s warm. And I love the ocean, it’s beautiful.
US: Do you listen to music when you run?
TS: Yeah, not when I train with the team but like in the summer you train by running eight or nine-mile runs every day and when I’m alone. I love listening to music when I’m running, it makes it so much better because it lets you relax and daydream about other things while you run.
-vramirez@cc.usu.edu