University of Minnesota Athletics
Captains Corner: Anne Haakenstad
10/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's cross country program has this weekend off from competition in preparation for two races next week. Co-captain Anne Haakenstad checks in with GopherSports.com as Minnesota prepares for the upcoming Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational and Tori Neubauer Invitational.
Gopher Sports: How do you feel about the season so far?
Anne Haakenstad: I think it's been going really well so far. I think we've learned something from every meet and then applied it to the next meet, so that's been cool. We've been building well, and to come off Griak, race a week later, and still have a lot of PRs I think is a testament to that and to our fitness. So I think we're in a good spot.
GS: How's the 800-meter training group doing?
AH: It's been really good so far. Everyone's been working really hard, and we've gotten in a lot of good workouts. Even in races we've already been having some PRs at 4K, so that's been really cool to see. Everyone's looking forward to track, but it's been good progress.
GS: Is there anything in particular that stands out within your workouts or in the team chemistry in that group?
AH: I think we're just extra supportive of each other. I think we make a lot of encouraging comments in the middle of workouts and give high fives. If someone is feeling down, we pat them on the back and bring them up. It's kind of a group effort, which is fun.
GS: What do you think is the biggest strength of the team as a whole so far this year?
AH: I think our biggest strength is how everyone is playing a role this year. Even coming off the meet at UW-Eau Claire, we had a ton of girls run super well. That's going to keep pushing the girls who will just make the travel team, and that will in turn push the top three on the travel team, so I think it's cool to see that everyone, including the red-shirts, is bringing each other up.
GS: How are this year's freshmen fitting in?
AH: They've been pretty great. They're running super well, which is awesome, but even chemistry-wise they're outgoing and chatty. They seem to bond well.
GS: What are your personal goals for the rest of the cross country season?
AH: Personally, I want to run a full 6K at UW-LaCrosse, since I haven't actually finished a 6K yet. Then we'll switch over to track probably the week after that. The 800-meter group runs kind of a hybrid season, so we will still work on getting in some good workouts and then supporting the girls going on to Big Tens and Regionals and beyond.
GS: How excited is the team to host the Big Ten Championships?
AH: So excited! We'll have so many people there cheering with all the flags, and everyone running around is going to be so awesome. I can't wait.
GS: What's your favorite type of workout?
AH: Well, I love any workout that's on a track. But for cross country, I actually really like the golf course workouts, our Wednesday workouts. I like that they're our hardest ones. They kind of push you over the edge, and it's fun to see people step up to the challenge. It's also a pretty place to run.
GS: How is the year going for you on the academic side of things?
AH: It's going well. It's my senior year, so I have some more specialized neuroscience classes, which has been really fun. It's also a little more relaxing because I know it's my last year, and I'm focusing on what's next. I'm in the middle of the medical school application process, so I'm waiting to hear there. Hopefully that works out.
GS: What are your plans for graduate school?
AH: I'm applying to medical school. I've stayed in Minnesota my whole life, so I would love to try a new city if I can. I'm most interested in neurology right now, but I also don't know enough about other fields, so we'll see. I'm really open to anything; it's exciting.
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Players Mentioned
