University of Minnesota Athletics
Warm-Up Lap: Q&A with Erin Hawkins
10/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
MINNEAPOLIS - Senior Erin Hawkins, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, is happy to be back on campus training with the Golden Gopher women's track & field team. The sprinter already has her sights set on lofty goals for the season and intends to make the most of her final year competing with the Maroon & Gold.
After running on Minnesota's record-breaking 4x400-meter relay teams both indoor and outdoor and placing third in the Big Ten with the distance medley relay last year, Hawkins is poised for another strong season.
GopherSports.com caught up with Hawkins to learn about fall training, classes and future plans, overcoming injuries, goals for the season, and more.
Gopher Sports: What did you do all summer?
Erin Hawkins: I worked a lot. I had far too many jobs. I was a strength and conditioning coach at two different places, I worked at the Y, I worked for my landlord, and I worked for the Twins -- that was really fun. I got hit with a ball one game, but I did get it signed. Now it's in a baseball holder and I got a picture with the guy who hit it.
GS: How are classes going so far this semester?
EH: Way easier than I expected. It's my first semester at grad school in the sport and exercise science program, M.Ed, and I'm trying to finish in a year. I thought my schedule would be worse. I only have one class a day and two online classes, so it's going well so far.
GS: Do you know what you want to do with your degree? What's next for you after graduation?
EH: My main thing is to open my own business. I definitely want to stay with strength and conditioning or personal training. It'd be cool to coach track, too. I really like middle school and high school, but I'm not sure yet. I'm open to a lot of different ideas. With my career choices, I'm pretty open to going to a different city, except for going back to Iowa. Otherwise, I'm pretty open; there's 50 states and a whole world. I like it here, but I also don't need to stay here.
GS: How is fall training going?
EH: It's not easy, but it's going better than it has in the past. I actually think that a lot of the younger girls are stepping up and doing really well. Even during testing and boot camp, the freshmen are killing it. I think that's really good for them. They're fitting in really well.
GS: As an upperclassman, how would you describe your leadership style?
EH: I think I like to lead by example and be the one who's sort of telling everyone what to do.
GS: What are your goals for the track season?
EH: It would be nice to get some PRs because I didn't get any last year. I want the 4x400m relay to get a medal at Big Ten Championships, too. I have one but we keep finishing fourth, so I really want that medal.
GS: You've had to overcome some significant injuries during your career. How do you think that has shaped you as a student-athlete and person?
EH: It's definitely made me tougher. I'm not worried about the little things as much. I just work hard, make sure I'm taking care of what I can, and try to enjoy the time I have left on the track.
GS: What's your favorite meet location that you've traveled to?
EH: I think Oregon is really cool. It's Track Town USA, and there's so much to do there like hiking. I really liked our spring break in Alabama last year, too.
GS: Reflecting on your time here, what stands out to you?
EH: Winning the Big Ten Championship was pretty cool. Everyone came together. It wasn't an easy task to complete but everybody counted and everybody mattered. Everything that we did to that point mattered and I think that is really cool.
GS: What's something that people would be surprised to know about you?
EH: My dog just moved in. His name is Oakland; he's a lab mix. He's four years old.
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Players Mentioned
