Greg Fitpatrick
Staff Writer
Far away from home yet not far away from glory, women’s track and field’s Gabby Gaudreault competed in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Lincoln, Neb. back on March 14.
Competing in the 800 meter race, Gaudreault was seeded as the top runner in the event. She earned that spot by posting a time of 2:12.34 and sixth-place in the preliminaries. Gaudreault ended up finishing seventh overall with a time of 2:13.96, good enough to earn All-American honors.
“I didn’t do as well as I hoped,” said Gaudreault. “I still took seventh and made All-American, so you can’t be too upset about that.”
Gaudreault felt confident going into the race with the strategy that she was going to use.
“I wanted to sit back, and then I was going to just kick. I did that, but it didn’t work as well as I wanted it to,” Gaudreault said.
The NCAA Championship event showcased the best of the best. The resilient and hard-working Gaudreault was right there with the cream of the crop. The 17 most outstanding women’s Division III 800 meter runners were all put on one shining display. Regardless of her time or place, Gaudreault’s tough competition only helped her with this experience.
“It’s always good when you have the best competition in your races,” Gaudreault said. “It pushes you that much more.”
Having success with each event she competes in, Gaudreault earned an NCAA qualifying time by the way she has performed all season. There is no better way to cap off senior year than by breaking two school records. Gaudreault took the 800 record earlier this year with a time of 2:09.57, and in the 1000 she earned that spot as well with a time of 2:54.14. That is only a little taste of how Gaudreault earned her spot at the top.
Gaudreault could not have been successful without the people surrounding her. Whether it is her teammates, coaches, family or friends, she credits her success to the people that have been supporting her from the start.
“I feel like I have a really good support system from Coach [Jim] Pennington especially, always pushing me to do my best,” Gaudreault claimed. “My teammates, obviously they’re the best. I couldn’t do anything without them. Everyone’s been super supportive, so it’s always nice to have that good solid base.”
Moving on from here, Gaudreault is now focused on the outdoor season. The women’s team has already had an outdoor meet on March 29 at the Ramapo Invitational in New Jersey. Gaudreault did not compete, but she will be back in action soon. With whatever race she competes in, Gaudreault will surely be determined to be the first to cross that finish line.