By Kaitlin Fuelling, '13
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – This past weekend, Hayley Ney (HN) competed in the Brutus Hamilton track meet and ran the 1500-meter race in 4:37.39. The native from Portland, Ore. has thoroughly enjoyed her time as a Bronco distance runner. Recently, SantaClaraBroncos.com (SCB) sat down with Ney to discuss some of her most memorable moments at Santa Clara as well as her future plans.
SCB: As a senior, how has this season been different than previous seasons?
HN: Because I am graduating after this year, I treated these seasons very seriously. This is the last opportunity I have to run competitively and I wanted to get the most out of my last year with the team. I tried to do all of the extra things and put my best effort into my training to get the most out of my races.
SCB: Looking back, how has your training as a collegiate student-athlete differed from running in high school?
HN: The main difference in training between high school and college was mainly the volume and intensity of the work. My mileage in high school was only around 25-30 miles a week. In college my peak mileage was around 80 miles a week. Because I have become much stronger than I was in high school, my body has been able to handle the more intense training during an entire year.
SCB: Is there anything you would like to accomplish in the next couple meets?
HN: I would love to close out my career with a personal record!
SCB: How did you prepare for this track season?
HN: After cross-country I took some extra time off because I hadn't fully recovered from the mileage I ran over the summer and during the fall. This helped me become re-motivated and more rested for the upcoming track season. I think that taking some extra time off has really helped me regain some confidence for this last season.
SCB: What has been the best experience about being on the distance teams?
HN: I have had so many amazing experiences with my team over the past four years. Getting the opportunity to travel to Mt. San Antonio College for their annual Mt. Sac Relays was an amazing experience. Although I didn't race particularly well, getting to compete in such an amazing environment with the nations best runners was truly incredible. Not to mention, watching Kevin Oliver set the school record in the 10,000 meters was truly incredible. I am so excited and inspired that I got to witness his incredible race that will be remembered at Santa Clara for a very long time!
SCB: Any plans for the future?
HN: Keep on living and running!
SCB: Where is the most memorable place you have run?
HN: The runs that are most memorable are the ones that have a long uphill and reward you with a sweet view of a city. I think I would love to run in central park or at the armory indoor track in NYC. Basically, I just want to see New York.
SCB: What will you miss most about Santa Clara?
HN: I will miss running on the team the most. I've had so many incredible experiences with my teammates and am going to miss them a lot next year.
GO BRONCOS!
