July 21, 2009

In only two years Robbie Reid has turned into the top runner for the men's cross country and track teams. Entering his junior year Reid takes a look at the upcoming cross country season and the hundreds of miles he has run this summer.

SCU: What made you choose Santa Clara?

RR: I am a native of Northern California and love the area. Plus the weather is pretty hard to beat. And, I really wanted to run for a Division I school.

SCU: What has been your favorite memory with the cross country/track team in your two years at Santa Clara?

RR: It's hard to narrow it down to one. Every time we travel it's always fun. I would say the two most memorable trips so far were during the cross country season my freshman year. We traveled to Springfield, Oregon for the NCAA Western Regionals. My favorite track memory was during my freshman year when we chartered a bus down to Malibu to race at Pepperdine. The West Coast Conference Championship for cross country is always a great time as well.

SCU: What excites you most about the upcoming cross country season? RR:Well, other than running fast I'd say seeing how the incoming freshman class gels with the rest of the team, as well as the fact that I'm in the best shape of my life right now.

SCU: What have you done to train over the summer? RR: I run a lot of miles (a little over 400 miles since June 1st), and I am doing some core work as well.

SCU: If you had to choose, would you rather run track or cross country? RR: That is a tough decision. Initially, I would say track in a heartbeat, but these past few years I've grown to love cross country just as much as track. Another huge factor is that we don't really have a conference meet or "Championship" for track yet, but hopefully we will in the near future.

SCU: The Cross Country and Track teams continuously have outstanding team GPA's. The men's track/cross country posted the highest GPA at 3.218 for the spring quarter; and they also posted the highest cumulative GPA at 3.175. What contributes to this success?

RR: It takes a significant amount of focus, determination and overall commitment to be a successful runner; and all that hard work carries over into the classroom.

SCU: What has attributed to your success in the class room?

RR: For the most part those characteristics I mentioned earlier (focus, determination, and commitment) contribute a great deal to my success and I carry a 3.2 into my junior year. We also have a phenomenal academic staff at Santa Clara to support all the student-athletes and make sure that all their needs are met.

SCU: What are you planning on majoring in? Any plans after college?

RR: I am majoring in Finance, and after college I hope to take a little time off, maybe travel and then possibly attend law school.

SCU: What other sports did you play growing up? RR: I played soccer, baseball, basketball and I wrestled in junior high school.

SCU: If you could do any other sport what would it be?

RR: Soccer

SCU: What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?

RR: I like to hangout with friends or watch TV.

SCU: What is your favorite place on campus?

RR: It is a toss up between the Leavey Center and the library.

SCU: Do you have any nicknames, and why do you have those nicknames?

RR: The only one I can think of is Robdog, and honestly I have no idea how that came about. I think you'd have to ask one of the older guys on the team about that.