I am currently in my fourth and final year at the University of Dubuque. I am finishing my Bachelors in Wellness and Exercise Science while also being a member of the track team. I am from Camanche, Iowa, where I participated in football and track during my high school career. Little did I know that making the decision to run track and field in college and having success would greatly benefit my mental health while I pursued my degree.
Here is my story: Going into the 2022-2023 season, I knew I was in great shape and had the confidence to compete well. I started off pretty hot and solidified my qualification to indoor nationals before the conference meet. I got second at indoor conference and ended up achieving my first All-American honors by placing fourth in the 60m hurdles. I carried this energy and confidence to the outdoor season, which definitely showed. After achieving All-American status, finally I knew that I could compete. The outdoor season started off really well. I opened up with a PR at the first meet, and the second meet, I beat that PR in prelims of the 110H, and then in finals I beat that PR as well. This meant that I had beat my previous season PR by around half a second. This was huge for me starting off the outdoor season. I was ranked number one in the nation with that time, and would go on to hold that position through outdoor nationals. Unfortunately, I did not compete the best in Rochester, NY, and ran into some wardrobe issues as well, and ended up placing 16th. It was a hard time for me, but I knew that this, however, did not define who I was, because it was just one race. After reminding myself how well I did the whole year, I was more than prepared to get after it during the 2023-2024 season.