Meredith Ray '18
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Freshman cross country runner Noah Westfall (NW) talked to Santa Clara Broncos (SCB) about his transition to college and the season so far. Westfall had a breakout season his senior year in high school and has kept up the pace in his college races.
SCB: You're a freshman this year. How has the transition been from Colorado to Santa Clara so far?
NW: So far the transition has been great. I love California and I really enjoy the area. The campus is amazing and I feel like I have adjusted pretty well to college life. I think I will miss the snow most of all, but you just can't go wrong with California weather.
SCB: What do you plan on majoring in and what do you hope to do in the future?
NW: I am undeclared arts and sciences right now but I am really interested in pursuing philosophy. I have no particular plans for the future other than follow my heart and see where the world takes me.
SCB: What are you looking forward to most this upcoming season?
SCB: You placed 34th at the season-opening USF Invitational. How was your first college race? Did it go how you expected?
NW: I felt like my first college race went really well. It is definitely a major transition from high school moving up to the 8k. I felt that the increased mileage over the summer really helped. I also like the longer and more difficult courses, which played to my strengths at USF. I think I ran much faster than I was expecting. I had no idea that I would be able to hold my own in my first college race.
SCB: How did you stay in shape this summer? What fun things did you do?
NW: Sometimes it was difficult to run on my own but I tried to put in some big miles this summer and I think it really paid off in terms of my overall fitness. I ran about 45-50 miles per week on average and I peaked at just over 60 for one week. Also, this summer I hiked my first 14'ers which was really exciting and I hope to hike more in the future.
SCB: Is it difficult to balance schoolwork with practices and meets?
NW: I have definitely had to make some sacrifices in terms of extra-curricular activities, but I feel that I have been able to stay on top of my schoolwork so far. It is only the third week of school at this point so I will have to see how the first midterms go. Missing school is always stressful but I have talked with my professors about completing work ahead of time so that I don't get behind.