Blogs : NCAA Division III Blog

Interviews: Toni Wiszowaty of SUNY Plattsburgh

(Photo courtesy of the SUNY Plattsburgh cross country team)

Wiszowaty is a junior at SUNY Plattsburgh.  She recently finished fourth individually at the 2006 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships helping her team place 29^th.  At the 2006 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships she finished 10^th in the 5,000m.  This past outdoor track and field season she finished as the runner-up in the 10,000m at nationals. 

By: Derick Lawrence

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself (where you’re from, what high school you went to, how you got started running)?

           I am from Shirley, NY which is located in Long Island. I attended William Floyd High School; it’s a pretty big high school. I started running in 5^th grade and my gym teacher told me to start running for this program called “Road Runners.” This program is basically for all ages and so I started running for them. I continued running all throughout middle-school and high school. I never became serious with running until my senior year.

What were your PR's in high school (cross country and track)?

           Like I said, I wasn’t serious with running so they weren’t all that great. My 5k PR was 20:15 and my 3000 PR was 11:35. I don’t want to say the other PR’s because they are pretty embarrassing…haha

What are your current PR's (cross country and track)?

           Currently in cross country, my 6k PR is 21:19… I really never got the chance to run on a super fast course. All of our meets were pretty muddy and wet. My 5k PR for cross country is 17:10. For track I mostly concentrate on the 5k and 10k. 10k- 35:46 and 5k-17:19 (I am looking to set new PR’s for myself this indoor and outdoor season)

What made you choose SUNY Plattsburgh?

           Honestly, Plattsburgh wasn’t my first choice, I didn’t even want to go to Plattsburgh but my mom made me visit the school. When I came up here I loved it and fell in love with the team. Everyone here was great and we have so many trails here. So the running environment is definitely a plus.

How has your training progressed over the years from high school to now (cross country and track)?

           My training has made a huge jump from high school to what it is now. In high school I’m sure everyone runs lower miles than in college. The longest run I did in high school was I think about 8miles, and that’s because we would run to the beach and back. Usually our runs were only 4miles or so. Now, I am doing more mileage. I really like high mileage weeks. Also the workouts are more intense and focus more on events here. And in high school I just ran whatever. It didn’t matter to me.

What was your training like this past summer (mileage, workouts, etc.)?

           My training this past summer was definitely one of the best summer training I have done. It consisted of a lot of mileage and lots of sweat. I didn’t do too much workouts because the summer is more about getting a really good base in. I leave the workouts for the season, and trust me they are hard. I decided to stay in Plattsburgh for the summer because I knew I could get the best training here.

You finished fourth at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, helping your team place 29^th overall.  Tell us about this race and your thoughts looking back at your performance.  What was your mentality like heading into nationals?

           Well first off, I was excited that I would have my teammates with me at nationals. Making it as an individual is great but making it as a team is something I’m sure everyone wishes to do. My teammates were very helpful with easing my nerves, now I could have someone to joke around with beside my coach and Matt. Going into the race I was excited because it was a mud fest. Since all my races were muddy, or sloppy I knew this would benefit me as I was use to running in these conditions. I didn’t expect it to be as bad as it was. The course was the worst one I have ever run on but I would do it again in a second because it was fun. During the race I couldn’t help but laugh a little because I wanted to go faster but I just couldn’t because of the conditions. I was a little disappointed with the outcome of the race because I was in second for most of the race and at the end I got out-kicked. I am not too upset though because it’s expected to happen at the national level and I’m pretty happy about getting 4^th in the nation. Everyone I raced against are extremely talent runners.

(Photo courtesy of PrettySporty.com)

What are your goals heading into the indoor/outdoor track and field season?

           My goals are just to make it to nationals again. I don’t like to set goals because I don’t want to be let down, or put too much pressure on myself. I just want to run fast.

What are the dining options like at SUNY Plattsburgh?  Does most of the team eat together?

           Well I don’t eat at the dining halls here. I live off campus, but I did eat there my first two years. We have 3 main dining areas, all are different. One dining hall is mainly organic foods and healthy stuff which I like because I am a vegetarian/vegan. The main dining hall is huge and offers a variety of food. And the last dining hall is more of a take out kind of place. People usually go there when they are in a hurry. The team always eats together, no member is ever eating alone, accept for the ones that live off campus.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life and/or running?

           I have to say one of my biggest influences for running would be my boyfriend Matt Deshane. He was the one that got me serious about the sport. If it wasn’t for him, I probably would still be careless towards the sport.

           Another major influence would be my coach John Lynch. He seriously is the best coach I have ever trained under, and I have trained under many. John is so young and he knows so much. When he came to Plattsburgh State University I started to get faster and faster. I can say it is due to his training and his personality. He cares a lot about every runner on the team and is always there to talk to his athletes about anything. He motivates me to run fast and is always looking for me to try and set a new personal best.

What’s your major?  Favorite professor?  Most memorable class?

           I am a Childhood Education major with a concentration in English. I really love working with children, even though people don’t expect that of me. I really don’t have a favorite class because its school! But all the teachers here are great.

What are your plans after college?

           Well after college I want to pursue my running career but if that doesn’t work out for me then I’ll do what I came to college for and teach. I really hope to advance in running, I am sure many runners look to do so. 

Is there a certain cheer or routine the women's team yells or carries out in the team huddle prior to a race?  If so, could you describe it for us.

Start of the Cardinal Classic

(Photo courtesy of the SUNY Plattsburgh cross country team)

           Of course there is a cheer, you got to have one! We stole ours from “Cool Running’s.” It goes something like this “feel the rhythm, feel the time rhyme, let’s go girls it’s x-c time.” It may sound dorky, but it works.

Does the women’s team have any team bonding activities on the day of a race (i.e., gift exchange, motivational quotes, etc.)?  

Awards ceremony at nationals

(Photo courtesy of the SUNY Plattsburgh cross country team)

           We have no bonding activities. Usually we all just like to joke around with each other. It calms the nerves down. I am a huge joker, so they get their laughs in. It really helps everyone to not get too worried or nervous.

What do you like the most about SUNY Plattsburgh Cross Country?

(Photo courtesy of the SUNY Plattsburgh cross country team)

           I really enjoy our running environment here. We have miles upon miles of trails here, and the roads are good too. I also love to run with my team, we all get a long so well and it really makes cross country more enjoyable. After all you got to have a good bond with your teammates especially since you spend most of your time with them. We all hang out together outside of school and cross country.

What's the running environment like at SUNY Plattsburgh?  Where does the team train? 

Trails

(Photo courtesy of the SUNY Plattsburgh cross country team)

           Like I have stated previously, the running environment is amazing. We have trails, and roads that all have great scenery. I love training in Plattsburgh so much that I decided to stay up here and train during the summer. You can never get bored running in Plattsburgh.

Any parting words for readers?

           Keep on running and have fun with it. Try not to put to much pressure on yourself to run great races, just let the work you have done lead the way. And to those out there who aren’t the best at the sport just keep working on it; after all I started out in the back of the pack.

Thanks to Toni for a great interview.