Tess McConkey '17 Recruiting Profile

    I have a passion for running and competing, and I love working hard and seeing the benefits of my dedication when I race. I am relatively new to distance running; however, I have made so much progress in a short time. I'd like to see how much more I could improve with collegiate level coaching and training. My dream is to be able to run Cross Country and Track at the next level while receiving a superior education. Consistently, I make it a habit to push myself both athletically and academically. Many don't understand why I run 3.1 miles for fun, but I take it as a compliment when people tell me I'm crazy about running. My love for Cross Country motivates me to take my training very seriously, and I am commited to becoming the best student athlete I can be.

    This year some of my best races were the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference (OVAC) meet and the East-District meet. At OVAC's, I broke my past personal record by 36 seconds and placed 18th out of 181 runners. My final time was 20:30 and that gave me the confidence that I could finally be in the 20s. At the East District meet, I was fighting for a spot to Regionals and placed 15th with a time of 20:44, which qualified for Regionals. The District course is very hilly and usually times are slower, so I was happy with the time.  With the exception of two much larger meets (Regionals and McGowan invitational) I placed no lower than 19th. All the meets except one I was the second runner on our team. Although I had a consistent season, I am not satisfied. I want to break 20 minutes in the 5K next year. I am new to distance running, and I still have a lot to learn and am confident I will continue to rapidly improve.

    For now, my focus is on track. I ran 2 indoor meets at Marietta College. I placed 6th in 1600 out of 20 girls with a time of 5:53. Last year, I did not run one specific event every meet other than the 4x800 meter relay. I tried the 1600 and 3200 for the first time last year and loved them. However, because of my inexperience and lack of focus on one specific event I am not thrilled with my times. The slight disappointments of last year only leave me more hungry this year. I am motivated to set some new goals for all my events. Currently, I am on the school top 10 of all time Track and Field record list for the 4x800, 800, 1600, 3200, and pole vault. My goals for track are to bust up my personal records and climb higher on the school records sheet.  In the past two years, our 4x800 meter relay has qualified for Regionals. Another goal of mine, is to qualify again in the relay and additionally in an individual event.

My Ohio Mile Split profile is:  http://oh.milesplit.com/athletes/4188033-tess-mcconkey/stats#.VlkI3rQfHFI