With her final track performance as a Wisconsin Badger about six weeks away, senior distance runner and four-time All-American Katrina Rundhaug wants to go out with a bang.
I think I have some pretty lofty goals, but I think I can achieve them,"" Rundhaug said. ""I definitely want to win the Big Ten title - teamwise and individually in the 10k. My goal is to be top three at nationals in the 10k - that would be my highest finish ever - and I want to run at the Olympic Trials at the end of June.""
Anyone familiar with Rundhaug knows these goals are attainable.
She already won the Big Tens twice - this indoor season in the 5000 meters and in the 10,000 meters outdoor in 2005. In March, she took fifth at the indoor NCAA championships in the 5k. She'll have to shave 34 seconds from her 10k personal best to hit the Olympic Trials 32:45 automatic ""A"" standard.
Rundhaug already achieved the 34:00 ""B"" standard this season, and could sneak into the top 24 that make the trials if she gets close to the ""A"" cutoff.
""I definitely think I'm capable of it,"" Rundhaug said.
For her season opener, Rundhaug traveled with the men's team to compete against some of the best in the NCAA as well as a few professional runners. She placed ninth behind Iowa's Meghan Armstrong, in 33:29.48, just meeting the 33:30 automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA national championships.
""I think I was a little more worn out than I thought I was,"" Rundhaug said. ""But, I still got the national qualifier, and that's what mattered.""
Besides Armstrong, Diane Nukuri of Iowa is another top competitor. Rundhaug is currently ranked No. 5 in the NCAA for the 10k, while Nukuri and Armstrong are second and fourth, respectively.
""I'm really excited to start the outdoor season, and I feel like it is just starting because I counted the early 10k as the end of indoor season,"" Rundhaug said.
This weekend Rundhaug and five other Badgers will aim for NCAA Midwest Regional qualifying marks in the 5000 meters this weekend at the Iowa Twilight Meet.
""This is a kind of a see-where-I-am-before-Big-Tens meet,"" Rundhaug said.
Three other distance runners qualified for regionals so far. Senior Ann Detmer and junior Gwen Jorgensen got through in the 1500 meters, while junior Sarah Hurley qualified in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
Alicia Pabich, Leah Coyle, Maggie Hippman, Kait Hurley and Ashley Benson are among the other members of the distance crew looking for fast times Saturday.
""Our [distance] team has come a long way since my first year here,"" Rundhaug said. ""We started with a much smaller team with not much depth at all. We've definitely come a long way.""
In her fifth year, Rundhaug is one of few remaining team members to have trained under Peter Tegen, who coached UW distance from 1974 to 2003. While the 1980s and '90s were the heyday for UW women's cross country, and Tegen earned 15 Big Ten cross country titles in his career, he passed the team off to current women's head track coach Jim Stintzi while it was in a bit of a slump.
""The first year was definitely a tough year for coach Stintzi, but he's done an amazing job rebuilding the team,"" Rundhaug said. ""He has a lot of confidence in all of us, and he's developed us to help us meet our potential. I have a lot of confidence that the program will keep growing and keep getting better and better.""
Rundhaug predicted the women's team would pick up several qualifying marks at the Iowa Twilight this weekend and said her training is going well.
Although she has nationals and the Olympic Trials on her mind, for now, Rundhaug is focused on putting up team points for UW at the Big Tens May 16-18. A team title is one of the few accomplishments missing from her résumé.
""I truly believe that we're going to be in the hunt for the Big Ten title. [Winning] would be an amazing finish to my season,"" said Rundhaug, who would probably have to score at least 15 points for that to be possible. ""I would be ecstatic to have won a Big Ten title as a team.
