University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
Meet the Newcomers: Maria Rickman
10/10/2019 9:05:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
Get to know Gophers freshman Maria Rickman, a distance runner from Edina, Minn.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Freshman Maria Rickman joins the Gopher track & field and cross country program as a distance runner from Edina, Minn. Rickman explains how she got into running, how she chose the University of Minnesota, her intended major, and more.
Gopher Sports: How did you first get into running?
Maria Rickman: Originally I played soccer and found that I really liked the running aspect of the sport. My elementary school had this event where the cross country team would put on a race at the end of the year, so I did that in fourth and fifth grade and really liked it. I joined the cross country team in seventh grade. I didn't know how I was going to choose between cross country and soccer, but eventually learned that I liked running a lot more.
GS: What was it about cross country that hooked you?
MR: I liked how individual it was. There's a team aspect of it, but you make your own luck. I also just really like running. The sport pushes you and makes you learn more about yourself.
GS: What was your high school cross country and track & field experience like?
MR: It was good. It was more team-oriented; we had a lot of good people on our team, so we built off each other and worked together to get better. I had really good coaches, and they prioritized the athletes and their health. Coming here, I'm really excited because I think this is a similar environment to what I experienced in high school.
GS: Was there a season or a race where you realized that you could compete at the Division I level?
MR: The first time would be running the Griak in ninth grade. I had the best race of my whole season, and then my coach came up to my parents and said that running Division I was a real possibility for me. I was so excited. I didn't realize that was a goal of mine until my coach said that.
GS: How did you pick the University of Minnesota?
MR: I wanted to stay close to home, so I only really looked in the Midwest. I liked that the U had a good academic reputation, but looking at the team culture was important as well. The coaching seemed excellent and I liked that they prioritized not only their athletes' athletic performance but that they want to make sure that they are doing okay as people too.
GS: Do you consider yourself more of a cross country or track runner?
MR: I feel like I would have said cross country before ninth grade, but after I learned how to run track races, I really enjoyed track as much as I did cross country. I would say both.
GS: What do you like the best about cross country and track & field?
MR: I like cross country because of the team aspect and that it's only one race where your team gets to run it together. The weather is nice, the runs are longer, and I have so many good memories from cross country. I like how you can do a lot of races in track. If you have a bad race, you can make up for it in the next one, so you have multiple opportunities to run and do well.
GS: What's your favorite distance to race?
MR: I like the mile. It's short enough that you have to make your moves quickly and be intentional, but it's not super draining.
GS: Do you know what you want to major in?
MR: Right now I'm thinking about biology. I'd like to do sports medicine.
GS: What is about sports medicine that drew you into that field?
MR: With injuries, I've had to go into sports medicine clinics a lot, so I've been noticing how they operate and help athletes recover. I like learning about the human body and how it functions.
GS: What was your first impression of the team here?
MR: On my official visit, everyone was super nice and talkative. I didn't know what to expect coming into camp this year, but everyone's been super nice and welcoming. Everyone is in the same boat at least once in their career, so they're really willing to help out and be supportive.
GS: What are you looking forward to this year?
MR: I think I'm most looking forward to finding my groove and balancing school and sports. I've been injured for a while, so I'm looking forward to getting back into shape and not being injured.
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Gopher Sports: How did you first get into running?
Maria Rickman: Originally I played soccer and found that I really liked the running aspect of the sport. My elementary school had this event where the cross country team would put on a race at the end of the year, so I did that in fourth and fifth grade and really liked it. I joined the cross country team in seventh grade. I didn't know how I was going to choose between cross country and soccer, but eventually learned that I liked running a lot more.
GS: What was it about cross country that hooked you?
MR: I liked how individual it was. There's a team aspect of it, but you make your own luck. I also just really like running. The sport pushes you and makes you learn more about yourself.
GS: What was your high school cross country and track & field experience like?
MR: It was good. It was more team-oriented; we had a lot of good people on our team, so we built off each other and worked together to get better. I had really good coaches, and they prioritized the athletes and their health. Coming here, I'm really excited because I think this is a similar environment to what I experienced in high school.
GS: Was there a season or a race where you realized that you could compete at the Division I level?
MR: The first time would be running the Griak in ninth grade. I had the best race of my whole season, and then my coach came up to my parents and said that running Division I was a real possibility for me. I was so excited. I didn't realize that was a goal of mine until my coach said that.
GS: How did you pick the University of Minnesota?
MR: I wanted to stay close to home, so I only really looked in the Midwest. I liked that the U had a good academic reputation, but looking at the team culture was important as well. The coaching seemed excellent and I liked that they prioritized not only their athletes' athletic performance but that they want to make sure that they are doing okay as people too.
GS: Do you consider yourself more of a cross country or track runner?
MR: I feel like I would have said cross country before ninth grade, but after I learned how to run track races, I really enjoyed track as much as I did cross country. I would say both.
GS: What do you like the best about cross country and track & field?
MR: I like cross country because of the team aspect and that it's only one race where your team gets to run it together. The weather is nice, the runs are longer, and I have so many good memories from cross country. I like how you can do a lot of races in track. If you have a bad race, you can make up for it in the next one, so you have multiple opportunities to run and do well.
GS: What's your favorite distance to race?
MR: I like the mile. It's short enough that you have to make your moves quickly and be intentional, but it's not super draining.
GS: Do you know what you want to major in?
MR: Right now I'm thinking about biology. I'd like to do sports medicine.
GS: What is about sports medicine that drew you into that field?
MR: With injuries, I've had to go into sports medicine clinics a lot, so I've been noticing how they operate and help athletes recover. I like learning about the human body and how it functions.
GS: What was your first impression of the team here?
MR: On my official visit, everyone was super nice and talkative. I didn't know what to expect coming into camp this year, but everyone's been super nice and welcoming. Everyone is in the same boat at least once in their career, so they're really willing to help out and be supportive.
GS: What are you looking forward to this year?
MR: I think I'm most looking forward to finding my groove and balancing school and sports. I've been injured for a while, so I'm looking forward to getting back into shape and not being injured.
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