Rock holds the Division III record in the 400 meters (Seth Rossman) |
1. At the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, you defended your 400-meter dash title by winning with a championship record time of 46.96. For your efforts, you were also named the meet's male runner of the meet by the United States Track Coaches Association. What honor or accomplishment are you most proud of during your collegiate career so far?
It is hard to put my finger on one thing. I have been fortunate enough to have been a part of a team that has won three indoor and two outdoor team championships so far, which is really one of the reasons I decided to come to La Crosse. This team success states a lot about this program. As far as individual accomplishments, I would say this past indoor winning the 400 and 4x400 relay in record times really topped off a great indoor season.
2. You recently broke the Division III outdoor record in the 400 meters with your time of 45.73. What are some of your goals you would like to meet and how has your training been heading into the outdoor season?
Well, my goals are to win the Division III 200 and 400. There are some excellent athletes in both fields, but I feel that I have been taking steps forward this year in accomplishing those goals. As far as training, I have been able to pretty much stay injury free so far this year, and training has been going very well. My coaching staff has set up a training program that, in my opinion, is one of the top there is anywhere. It seems to fit me very well.
3. Wisconsin-La Crosse won their third straight NCAA team title as well. As a vital part of the championship team, how close is everyone and what was the feeling like to eventually take the team title?
The team here is extremely close. We all have one goal in common and that is to win the team championship and keep the tradition going here. We have a group right now that is extremely dedicated and hopefully will continue to have success in the future. As far as the feeling of winning, you really can't describe it, all the hard work and training really pays off when you get to stand on the podium with your teammates and hold the gold trophy.
4. Have you ever given any thought to competing in the 400-meter hurdles or would that distract your attention and focus on the open 400?
Yes, I have given thought to running the 400 hurdles. I have taken sometime away from them and not putting a date on it, I would like to get back into them in the future.
5. One of the strengths of the Wisconsin-La Crosse program is the sprinting events as the 4x400 meter relay also holds the Division III championship record. What is the general coaching philosophy and has the training been any different than what you experienced in high school?
The coaching philosophy here is simple. We work hard on the track and in the weight room but still have enough energy and desire to compete hard and competitively on the weekend. Training is much different than in high school. We do more event specific workouts and the lifting is much more intense than in high school.
6. Is there any kind of race strategy that you have during the 400 meters or do you just let it all go and bring it home in the end?
Our racing strategy for 400 meters is as follows: We usually try to get out hard the first 100 and then find a comfortable rhythm on the backstretch. We want to hit the 200 meter mark around a second slower than our fastest open 200. Once we hit this mark we accelerate through the third 100 meters and bring it home with whatever we have left.
7. We all know one of the key ingredients to Michael Johnson's 200 meters was his training for the 400. Do you feel your training for the 400 in part holds the key to your success in the 200 as well?
Absolutely. I think in order to run a good 200 meters you have to develop speed as well as some endurance for finishing strong. Our training allows us to be competitive in any event from a 100 meters all the way to 800 meters.
8. What is the campus life and area like at Wisconsin-La Crosse for those of us who have never been there?
Well, the area is in a smaller town of around 50,000, with large bluffs and the Mississippi River near by. The campus is pretty small with around 10,000 students. You get to know a lot of people on campus and class sizes are relatively small. I think one of the reasons I chose La Crosse was because of the size. Being from a small town in central Wisconsin, it just seemed to be the right fit for me.
9. What other sports did you participate in during high school and when did you realize that the sprinting events was what you wanted to focus on the most?
I played basketball in high school as well. I knew that I wanted to concentrate on track when I was pretty young. I always enjoyed running more than anything and this made me work harder in this area. I guess after my junior year of high school I started realizing that I could maybe do this in college and that it was something I wanted to pursue.
10. As a sprinter, do you keep on any kind of special diet and watch what you eat closely to help perform at your best?
Yeah I try to stay away from some of the junk that is out there. We have a sports nutritionist that helps us plan our diets accordingly. I think that it can make a impact on the track as far as recovering from workouts and meets quicker.
11. Looking ahead after your collegiate campaign, have you thought about continuing your athletic career and, if so, where would you like to train?
Yes I would like to continue running after college. I am not sure where I would train at. I think it is important to get good training partners around you and to have a system that works for you. I have been fortunate to have good training partners around me here at La Crosse, and I think that has made a major impact on the success here. I also think that Coach Guthrie's system works for me, so we will see in the future where the best fit is for me.
12. Who are some of your heroes and people that you look up to?
As far as athletes are concerned, I have always looked up to Michael Johnson. I mean he is the fastest man that there ever has been in the two events that I do. Also, my parents have been major influencers on my track career. They travel to see me run at almost every meet and support me no matter where I go.