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Schneble Running in the Right Direction 9/8/2005 By Jennifer O’Neill Junior women’s cross country student-athlete Erika Schneble is running in the right direction this season. After missing all of last season due to a stress fracture, she made the most of her first meet back with a fourth place performance that led her team to a first place finish at the Belmont Invitational. “I am enjoying being healthy and running with my teammates,” Schneble said. “I just went out and ran. I just wanted things to go well my first race back.” While her positive attitude helped pave the way for a successful return, Schneble has not always been enthusiastic about running with her teammates. “I went to a really small middle school, so in high school I needed a way to meet people,” Schneble said. “My family suggested I participate in the cross country team tryouts. I went to the first day, saw everyone and I tried to run away from practice. My older sister caught me running away and told me I was going back to the team tryouts. I went back and enjoyed that first day. I have never stopped running since.” Schneble was a four-year standout on her high school cross country team and made the decision to continue running at the college level. “Coach [Jim] Spivey was the one college coach I could really relate to in the many phone calls I received,” she said. “Vanderbilt is a great school, and I knew it had a great medical facility. I have always wanted to go into medicine, so Vanderbilt was a great match for me.” Since arriving at Vanderbilt, Schneble has been one of the top runners on the cross country and track teams, earning All-South Regional and All-SEC honors for her cross country performances. She also was named an All-American for her track performances. However, toward the end of her second season with the Commodores, she developed a stress fracture and sat out (what would have been her third season) to recover. “I had a lot of time to mentally prepare myself for my return since I was out for a year,” Schneble said. “My goals this season are to make it to Nationals and to have an All-American type season like I did in track. I want the team to do well at SECs, and hopefully the whole team will go to Nationals.” The Belmont Invitational was Schneble’s first cross country meet since returning from her injury. Her return has helped motivate the team and her rigorous training regiment has helped them take their first step toward qualifying for Nationals. “She has matured a lot in her training since her last cross country season and that kind of ripples through our team,” senior Joanna Serago said. “We all are trying to be smart about our training.” Being smart comes easily to the runner, who was drawn to Vanderbilt by its exceptional medical school. However, despite her knack for medicine, Schneble and her teammates hope that her only dealings with Vanderbilt’s medical facilities this season are in the classroom. |
