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Carina Collet has consistently found herself at the top of the D3 ranks for the last two years. The Wartburg junior is a six-time All-American on the track with PR’s of 9:57 in the 3000 meters, 16:51 in the 5000 meters, and 35:41 in the 10,000 meters. On the grass, she has placed 15th and 11th at the last two national meets and has a PR of 21:32 for 6k. We caught up with Collet to talk about this past cross country season, her goals for indoor track, and even her signature look...
Many thanks to Carina for taking the time to answer a few of our questions!
The Stride Report: Let start from the beginning and give some background. When you were looking at colleges, why did you choose Wartburg?
Carina Collet: I knew when I was looking for a college that I wanted to be somewhere small, and I just kept coming back to Wartburg. Everyone on campus was incredibly friendly, especially the cross country team. There was also a very clear bond between the men’s and women’s teams, which I think is a positive. Additionally, Coach Chapman is very charismatic and I liked what I saw in his training. Wartburg also emphasizes personal growth as key to one’s college experience, and that matched with my goals and ideals.
TSR: What about D3 running do you think makes it unique and unlike D1 and D2?
Carina: Running in D3 is really the best of both worlds. I get to compete at a high level without the stress of athletic scholarships. D3 runners are truly student-athletes; I know that if I have a class conflict, my coaches will always understand that school is the priority. Personally, I have always been very involved — I am on the executive teams of several student organizations on campus, I have two jobs, and I volunteer. D3 gives me the flexibility to pursue all of my interests while still providing me the opportunity to compete in athletics.
TSR: Coming into your junior year in cross country this fall you had qualified for five national meets and had placed in the top 15 in four of them. You were coming off a 9th place finish in the 5000 meters and a 14th place finish in the 10,000 meters at last year's outdoor national meet. How did that change your mindset coming into the most recent cross country season? What were your goals as you entered the fall months?
Carina: I had very high goals for this past cross country season. Ultimately, of course, my goal is always to be better than I was last year. I decided that if I was going to be one of the top runners in the country, I needed to train like that. Having that mindset just made it that much easier to do the little things like eating right, getting good sleep, and (previously one of the hardest things for me) saying, “no” when I needed to put my training first.
More exciting than my individual goals were our team goals; we knew that we had a special group of young ladies, so we were always pushing each other to do our best. One of our goals was to finish as one of the top 10 teams in the nation; with everyone on the same page, having that winning mindset simply became a part of our culture. When everyone is enjoying working hard, we can just build off of each other’s energy as we work toward a common goal
TSR: You had a great cross country season this past fall, consistently finishing among the top five in competitive invitationals, placing 2nd in the Central region, and then finishing 11th at Nationals. Did you feel a lot of pressure to run well? How did you handle that pressure?
Carina: I think that the biggest pressure to run well comes from myself. I know that my coaches and teammates will be proud of me and love me no matter what place I finish. My teammates are always there to make me smile when I start taking myself too seriously.
But, as I mentioned, I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself (I expect perfection). I tell myself, “progress, not perfection,” then I count my blessings and say a thankfulness prayer. Practicing gratitude like this helps me to put everything into perspective and relieve the pressure.
TSR: Everyone knew the weather was going to be tough at the national meet; the course conditions were less than ideal. Did that change your race plan at all?
Carina: We had been racing in mud all year, so the course conditions didn’t phase us. Our mentality was something along the lines of “the more mud, the better!” The mud does make it harder to move up throughout the race, so it just reinforced that we needed to get out hard.
TSR: Take me through your emotions and game plan during Nationals. Did something change after Parley Hannan and Genny Corcoran took off early in the race?
Carina: My game plan for the national meet was to get out with the front pack, stick with them throughout the middle, and finish hard — finishing well is one of my strengths. It was a little nerve-racking to watch the men race before us. Our own guys got buried early on, which really made it clear to our women’s team just how important it is to get out hard at the national meet.
Seeing Parley Hannan and Genny Corcoran take off didn’t change very much for me; I tend to race from within, and I figured that if I stuck with the pack, they might come back to us. During the middle of the race, I got a little frustrated with myself as a gap formed between me and the lead pack, but I knew that I just had to stay calm and work my way back to them. I think the most emotional moment for me was at 1k to go, when a Wartburg fan yelled to me, “The team can podium, but we need every point. You matter today!” Knowing that passing even one girl could make a difference motivated me to dig in and give my all for my chicks. After the race, I was excited about how well my team did that I barely even registered how I had finished individually.
TSR: It sounds like you really have a passion for cross country, do you prefer it over track?
Carrina: Absolutely. They each have their merits, but cross country holds a special place in my heart.
TSR: Coming into the indoor track season, you are the third fastest returner in the NCAA (D3) for the 5000 meters. What are your goals for the upcoming track season? What will your focus be geared towards?
Carina: My number one goal is to glorify God through my effort and my character. Beyond that, I would really love to serve as a veteran leader for my team; I want to see a lot of Wartburg orange at the national meet.
One of my goals is to remove the asterisk from my indoor 5k record (it was set on a banked track). My biggest focus will be on rediscovering my love of competition and enjoying the purity of racing. I feel that especially with track, I can get so focused on time that I forget to just enjoy the grind and the wild energy that comes with great competitions.
TSR: You often stick out on the track or the course because you race with black lipstick, is there a reason why?
Carina: The black lipstick has become a bit of a trademark for me over the past few years. I see it as a sort of war paint. It signifies that it is time to go, it makes me feel bold and fierce.
It might scare the competition a little bit. And it looks great in pictures 😉. Some girls have special earrings or wear certain braids… I race in black lipstick (although I add in some silver for track season).
TSR: Anything else that you would like to add? Any shout-outs?
Carina: I didn’t really mention my family, and they are such an important part of my running experience. Both of my parents ran in college and continue to run today, so going to races was a huge part of my childhood. It really helped to shape my love of running. I have five siblings, which probably contributed to my competitive nature. It’s so special that when they come to meets and I hear them cheering (my eight-year-old sister is probably the loudest).
Being a part of the Wartburg Cross Country team is truly like having a second family. I love all of my chicks and my dudes; nothing that I have accomplished would be possible without them.