Last year at this time, then Conestoga senior Liz Costello was basking in the sunshine and deserved attention in San Diego at the Foot Locker Nationals. She had won the AAA state championship a month earlier and set a meet record at the original 2001-2005 Hershey course that is now officially retired. Costello finished her great senior year with a state indoor title in the 3000 to go with a Millrose Mile invitation; a state title in the 1600 in outdoor, and then a big PR with a 4:29.36 1500 at USATF Junior Nationals, good for 5th place. Costello had gone early decision at Princeton, and scored all season this fall for the Tigers, who finished what she termed a 'disappointing' 23rd. Costello's best race of the season was the Paul Short Run in late September, where she ran 2nd on the team, finishing 9th overall. She was injured in the race, but survived the year to get to her first NCAA Championships. Her team is young - their recruiting class looks as good as last year - and Costello has high expectations for herself and her new team. PennTrackXC.com borrowed some of her time to talk about her season, her team and her adjustment to a major college program at the Ivy League school.
PTXC: Where do you think you are in your development as a runner? Are some of the things you're doing now laying the groundwork for reaching increasingly tougher goals?
Costello: As far as where I am as a runner, I would say I am trying to adjust to the higher mileage training and the details that accompany that change, such as eating, hydrating, and sleeping habits. I am learning that I really have to make sure I take care of my body on all fronts in order to perfom well, not only in races, but at practice. Hopefully, as the training continues I will see the benefits by the spring season and the coming fall. My goals are always to improve on times in a range of events. Even though you race less in college and you typically focus on one or two events I am going to try and maintain as much range as possible. With this being the case, I have to not only increase my mileage, but I also have to make sure that I do not fall out of touch with my quickness.
Costello at her 'best race' of the year,
9/29 at the Paul Short Run where she finished 9th.
PTXC: Can you give an overview of your training this XC season, and how it dove-tailed with your races, starting with pre-season, then Paul Short, Heps, etc? What was your best race this season?
Costello: In terms of training, pre-season went well and provided a great base for the season. Especially when my training took some setbacks with a quad injury from my race at Paul Short. That race was by far my best race of the season because I felt aggressive, calm, and confident for the entire 6k.
While I wish I could have had that race at NCAAs, I was happy to have had my best performance on a home course in front of friends, old teammates, and family.
PTXC: Talk about your race and helping your team qualify for NCAA's, especially with such a young team, and high expectations?
Costello: The regional meet was very interesting mainly because of the surprisingly flat course that we ran on. As far as pressure and expectations, our team is very good about running as a team and using each other to pull ourselves along. Our biggest asset for this race and over the season has been out depth. Our top runners switched with every race. We have a very motivated and positive team atmosphere.
PTXC: Is this team one that should improve over the next three years?
Costello: The team looks to really improve over the coming years considering the strength of the incoming freshmen class and the precedents set by the upper classmen we have today - there is a tradition of work ethic at this school that keeps everyone on their toes. Especially with positions constantly changing over the season, all the girls stayed motivated because no one knew who was going to be the biggest contributors at any give meet.
PTXC: How was your first NCAA champs? How important is having that experience your first year?
Costello: Our huge dissappoint however came at the NCAAs. After such a great season, probably one of the best the team has had in a long time, we didn't finish anywhere close to where we wanted/where we felt we had potential to finish at nationals.
PTXC: What can you take away from the season that you didn't know before?
Costello: All in all it was a good experience to at least run at the meet and learn to run with such a large group of very talented runners. Pre-nationals really helped to prepare for NCAAs. Im sure the meet would have been much more intimidating if we had not attended the pre-nats race.
PTXC: What is something every high school athlete should prepare for or think about while they are searching for and/or making their college selection?
Costello: In order to make the best college choice, you really need to consider the team atmosphere and coaching style. Princeton, as I mentioned before, maintains an incredibly positive and motivated team atmosphere that keeps everyone training hard and focused. The coach is the other aspect that really needs to be considered because it is that person that is going to construct your trainging schedules and assist you the most in going after your personal records.
Costello at the Division I Mid-Atlantic Regionals,
Nov 11 at Lock Haven University, where she
helped her team advance to D1 Nationals.
PTXC: What was the biggest change for you moving from high school as an elite runner to a top Division I program?
Costello: The biggest change for me was the increase in mileage- a change that I am still adjusting too.
PTXC: Is there something from your high school experience you miss that you didn't think you'd miss?
Costello: Not having raced on a relay yet, I really miss my relay girls- we were always really close and loved running with each other.
PTXC: How important is the high school coach in preparing a runner for college? Were you well-prepared?
Costello: The high school coach is very important in preparing an athlete for the college experience because they help to provide the foundation training and experience that the athlete will be forced to fall back on during thier transition into the college program. I was definately well prepared. I still keep in touch with my high school coach, which is a huge asset since an old coach knows your training/ racing habits really well and is a good person to talk to for those reasons.
PTXC: What will you be doing in indoor and outdoor track? What are some of your track goals?
Costello: For the upcoming seasons I will mainly be focusing on mid-distance events including the 800, mile, and 3k. I am sure that the indoor season results will dictate which events I choose to focus on outdoors. The 800 will most likely be in the form of a relay, but I really would like to work on that PR (as always). My goal is to get back to the time I hit at Junior Nats as quickly as possible and then build on that. Hopefully that will occur with plenty of time outdoors to make further progress.
PTXC: Have you made the progress you thought you would to this point?
Costello: I would say that if my training had been more productive during the xc season that I would be very pleased with my shape currently, but because of some training set backs, I still feel that I have a lot of room to improve for this year and upcoming years.
PTXC: What kind of person/athlete do you think would benefit from this kind of program and competition?
Costello: I cannot imagine a better atmosphere than the one I have been welcomed into this past year. Any person who is individually motivated, loves a great team atmosphere, and has a positive attitude towards working hard and life in general would love and benefit from Princeton's program. There isn't a nicer and more welcoming team out there... GO TIGERS!!