The Boston University Valentine Invitational, which runs every February on one of the quickest indoor tracks in the country, always produces some of the fastest times in the nation year after year. This past weekend, the Hopkins track and field team certainly used the track to their advantage when they shattered eight school records during the meet.
On Monday, sophomore Megan McDonald was named the Centennial Conference women’s track athlete of the week after she set the Hopkins record in the 400 meter run (57.34) and as a part of the women’s 4x400 relay team (3:55.43) at the BU Valentine Invitational last Friday. Capping off her already impressive weekend, McDonald ran as part of the DMR on Saturday (11:58.38) with a blistering 400 leg (56.4). For her performances last weekend, The News-Letter would proudly like to announce Megan as our selection for Athlete of the Week.
The News-Letter: You are coming off a huge weekend at the BU Valentine Invitational, having run three outstanding races in 24 hours. What mindset do you take into multiple day meets in order to produce several outstanding races?
Megan McDonald: I just try to take it one race at a time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed knowing that I have a bunch of hard races ahead of me, but usually if I just focus on one at a time and if I don’t stress about [my races] I can succeed in all of them. Being on relays makes it more manageable too because we help motivate each other even when we are all exhausted.
N-L: Your open 400 time of 57.34 broke the overall school record in the event. How did it feel coming off the track knowing you had broken your own record this early in the season?
MM: It honestly didn’t feel that fast at all because I got boxed in a little towards the last 100 so I didn’t think I had even run a faster time than I did last week. Then I stepped off the track and saw that Emily [Nordquist] looked really happy so I looked at the screen with the times and was pretty much shocked. It was really exciting to PR by so much so early in the season.
N-L: Statistically speaking, you own school records in the 400m dash, 400m hurdles, indoor 4x400 and as a part of the indoor and outdoor Distance Medley Relay. That's quite an impressive résumé for a sophomore! How have you been able to improve yourself as a runner since becoming a member of the team last year?
MM: I’ve never really realized how many school records I have to be honest. . .I just take it all in stride and am just grateful to be part of such an incredible team. It’s a lot more fun now as a sophomore since I know everyone on the team a lot better and have a lot more confidence in my ability to do well.
N-L: Adding to your athletic achievements, you are also a Biomedical Engineer at Hopkins! How have you been able to balance running and schoolwork in order to succeed in two extremely competitive environments?
MM: It’s definitely tough sometimes to balance the ridiculous workload here and dedicating so much time to track, but it just takes a lot of thinking ahead and dedication. I manage to make it work for the most part. Some weeks are definitely harder than others, but I can’t imagine being a student here without being an athlete too.
N-L: Last year you became a Division III All-American as part the DMR. Right now, you are ranked first in the DMR, seventh in the 4x4 and ninth in the open 400. What are your goals for the coming post-season?
MM: I’m usually pretty level headed even at big races. I get more nervous at more competitive meets, but I usually try to channel that into being excited about racing instead of getting too nervous in a negative way.
N-L: The women's indoor and outdoor track and field team has won seven straight conference titles since 2010. What's it like being a part of such a winning culture? What are your expectations for conferences this season?
MM: We have an incredible team this year so it should be really fun to go out this year and continue to try and win and score in as many events as possible. The atmosphere is always really fun at conferences, so I’m looking forward to [that meet].
The Hopkins women’s track and field team will return to the track on Feb. 22 at the Keogh Invitational hosted by Haverford. The Centennial Conference Championship begins on Feb. 28, and the Division III National Championship begins on March 14 at the University of Nebraska. McDonald and the entire team look poised, confident and very prepared heading into the playoff stretch of their season.
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