Sarah Beasley is a senior on the Wheaton women's cross country and track & field teams this season. She enters her final season with the Thunder off of a strong junior campaign that saw Wheaton repeat as CCIW Cross Country Champions and participate as a team at the NCAA Cross Country Championships for the first time since 1999. Below is an interview with the Thunder senior.
Q: What events do you run during track season?
A: Steeplechase and 5k.
Q: Why did you choose to attend and run at Wheaton?
A: The summer before senior year of high school,I was an assistant counselor at HoneyRock camp, and David Walford, the assistant coach, was working there all summer. He encouraged me to consider running for Wheaton, and at that point I hadn’t even thought about running at the college level. I went on a recruiting visit and fell in love with the college – the team, the coaches, the classes and the food :).
Q: What do you appreciate about competing for coach Bradley?
A: Coach Bradley cares about each of his athletes as individuals, and is more concerned with their overall well-being than their performance. He is also a thoughtful and careful coach, who takes time to get to know the right training plan for each athlete. The team is very competitive and always strives to perform well at meets, but the strength of the team is not just measured by its running successes and failures. By his example, coach Bradley facilitates a team community that is supportive, encouraging and also really fun!
Q: What do you enjoy most about being a student at Wheaton?
A: The community and people at Wheaton are incredible. From my roommates of all four years who have shared life’s joys and pains with me, to the professors who care deeply about each student, to the cross country team, I have been blessed beyond belief. Also, Wheaton really makes its students wise. I love the classes that challenge and stretch me to think in a different way. As a result they have helped form my Christian faith into one that is active and continually being renewed.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about the experience of the women’s team competing at the Division III Cross Country Championships last fall?
A: It was an amazing experience – there was so much excitement and energy in the air. We all were just so grateful to be able to compete at the national meet, and were a little awestruck. Even though we did not race as well as we had at the Regional the week before, the experience bonded us all together and provided a lot of excitement for this upcoming season.
Q: What are your thoughts on the upcoming cross country season?
A: I am pumped about this team, and just the quality of all the people on it. We have a great new class of freshman, and a lot of key returners coming back. We’re losing our top runner from last year, but we still have our eyes set on the national meet, and if everything comes together at the right time, we could be there again!
