University of Minnesota Athletics
Captains Corner: Amelia Barczi
8/16/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
MINNEAPOLIS -- Amelia Barczi is one of five Golden Gophers named team captain for the University of Minnesota women's cross country team's 2017 season.
Barczi was named one of the Gophers' Most Improved Award recipients following her redshirt sophomore cross country season in 2015 after she completed her first 6K race at the Tori Neubauer Invitational. Last spring, Barczi clocked career-best times in the 600m and 800m indoors and the 800m and 1,500m outdoors on the track. She was tabbed an Academic All-Big Ten honoree after the 2016 cross country season as well.
Barczi joins fellow captains Bailey Ness, Patty O'Brien, Paige Peschel, and Madeline Strandemo to lead this year's team. Before the season begins, Barczi reflects on her journey as a Gopher so far and looks forward to the year ahead.
Gopher Sports: How did you first get into running?
Amelia Barczi: Growing up I did a lot of different sports. I was a big swimmer, and I was also in gymnastics, soccer, baseball. I was always one of the faster ones. It wasn't until middle school when we had a track & field unit, and I guess I did pretty well and I really enjoyed it. It was a big decision for me then, going into high school, because I had to choose soccer or track since they're in the same season in Wisconsin. I never actually ran cross country in high school, but I got into track. It was a bit of an adjustment to like the whole running thing, but I found that I really loved it.
GS: When did you realize you could run in college?
AB: Track was really new to me freshman year of high school. I didn't really know what to expect. I did pretty well at our middle school meet, so I kind of knew that I was decent and the coaches knew about me. They put me in some meets and then put me on the 4x800m relay, and it took off from there. I had some good role models on the team who showed me the ropes. I really enjoyed track in high school, and that kind of brought me here.
GS: How did you choose the University of Minnesota?
AB: I wasn't heavily recruited in high school, but I knew I wanted a Big Ten type of environment. Minnesota reached out to me, and I knew it was an awesome opportunity to be able to run at the Division I level. It was between Wisconsin and Minnesota, but I wouldn't have run at Wisconsin. I'm just very happy that I had this opportunity. I know I would have regretted not taking the opportunity to be part of such a cool team at such an elite level.
GS: What has your career been like so far?
AB: I haven't necessarily had the prettiest running career. I had a bit of a rough transition because I was a swimmer and I didn't run much in high school. I wasn't used to running all year around; I would only run during those few months of track season during high school. Coming here was a huge transition to training year-round. My body didn't handle it very well, and I had a few injuries over my first two or three years here, which was frustrating. The first few years were challenging not only physically for my body, but mentally as well. Thanks to the incredible resources we have here, my coaches, our nutritionist, and our athletic trainers, we worked out the best plan for me to stay healthy. The last two years have been a lot of time spent figuring out what works best for me. This past year was my first full year of being healthy for cross country and track; it was my very first collegiate track season, which was awesome. I have kind of a complicated story with a rocky start. With the help of my teammates and coaches, I figured it out.
GS: How has your experience made you a stronger runner and person?
AB: Because of all of the setbacks I experience in my first two to three years, it was really mentally tough. It took a lot of sticking in there and trusting that if I do what I'm told, focus on fueling my body properly, do everything in the training room, and listen to my coaches, that it would be worth it and I would come out healthier. I've had a lot of really encouraging teammates and friendships that have been made through this experience. All of those and the coaches kept me motivated to keep pushing despite setback after setback. I wasn't quite done yet.
GS: What was the past year like for you, finally experience an injury-free track & field season?
AB: It was awesome. When you're injured, you're not always with the team if you're cross training, so it was just really fun to be with the team daily and be able to be surrounded by everyone working hard together. It was so encouraging to be surrounded by my teammates who are so driven and hardworking and just be a part of it on a daily basis.
GS: What's it like to be at this point in your career, entering your fifth and final year and being voted a team captain by your teammates?
AB: It's weird! I really can't believe how fast the time has gone. I kind of have a weird story because I wasn't really running my first two or three years. I feel like I wanted to take this fifth year to have one last go at it and really see if I can reach my potential. Looking back, I know I've learned so much through the years. It's cool to have that role, knowing I've been through a lot and the girls can come to me for encouragement. I'm happy with where I'm at, but I'm sad that it's almost over.
GS: How would you describe your leadership style?
AB: I've never really been the most outspoken person in front of large groups. I really like to interact with people one-on-one and be someone who will encourage others. In workouts, especially with the 800m group because we're a smaller group, I try to be as encouraging as I can. My story is an advantage for me. Because I've been through so many setbacks, I can be someone who others come to if they are struggling or in a tough spot whether it's an injury or any mentally tough spot. I can be someone they can relate to and help them keep their head up.
GS: What are your goals for the year?
AB: I hope to help establish a really positive team culture and then see what we can do with our energy. I think we have a lot of talent and a lot of confidence coming into the year. For myself, I have a lot of personal goals. I would really like to build off what I did last year, but my overall goal is just to be a positive influence on the team.
GS: As a more of an 800m-focused runner, what's the biggest challenge for you in running cross country?
AB: Obviously it's physically challenging, but it's very mentally challenging to stay engaged for that long, too. Coach Hopkins always says to embrace the hurt. For me, cross country is about getting outside of my comfort zone. Because it really pushes me out of my comfort zone, it gives me a mental edge when we get to track season. Running a 6K or a 4K on the cross country course really toughens us up going into track season. It makes the transition to shorter distances on the track more fun and exciting. Competing all of the fall season helps fine tune our race strategy and prepares us for the spring, too.
GS: What are your academic plans for the coming year? Do you know what kind of career you want to pursue?
AB: Last spring I graduated with my psychology major and neuroscience minor, but this next year I'm still going to be doing undergrad work and adding a second degree in speech, language, and hearing sciences. I have a lot of interests and directions I would like to go. I know I would like to work in a medical setting of some sort, and I like working with older people. I'm interested in dementia and stroke victims and brain injury and working in that realm. I have a lot of things that I enjoy, but I still need to figure out how all of the pieces will come together.
###
Players Mentioned
