WIAA Division 1 state meet runner-up, Brooke Edwardson is set to attend the upcoming Midwest High School XC Challenge, hosted at Champions Park course in Springfield.
In advance of Edwardson's arrival on Ohio soil, we reached out to the Kimberly High School senior and Temple University commit to learn about her cross country season in Wisconsin, her decision to join the Owls, what she's targeting in next weekend's meet and more.
Coverage -
How did your season in Wisconsin unfold? What were some of your personal highlights?
A highlight I experienced this season was at my sectionals meet, where I finally got back into my competitive mindset. During that race, I broke a barrier and felt myself switch gears. It felt fantastic to finally have the determination and hunger to race back. Early on in the season, my team was running dual meets with limited to no spectators and the idea of a state meet was far-fetched at the time, so the atmosphere of meet-days was overshadowed by the reality of the pandemic. When my team heard the state meet was set and definite, our motivation gained momentum. Getting runner-up at this year's state meet was a close second.
Why did you decide on committing to Temple University? What are some of your goals for college competition?
Temple's distance team has been on the rise in recent years, and coach Snyder believes that we can continue that. Coach Snyder made it clear from the beginning that he has confidence in my ability to succeed with his coaching. A goal I have is helping Temple qualify for an NCAA cross country championships.
I can't wait to attend Temple University, I'm excited to push my running to a new level and invest a lot more into it. I'm pretty excited about my major, environmental science, too.
What led you to decide on attending the Midwest XC Challenge in Ohio? What are your goals for the meet?
For me, the Midwest meet is a great opportunity to race fast against new competitors. As a senior, I want to make the most of my last season and have fun with it. My goal going into this race is to pr and leave it all out on the course.
How would you describe your racing style?
That's classified!
What's on your non-running bucket list that you hope to accomplish someday?
- Hike across the entire length of Wisconsin's ice age trail (1200 miles)
- Visit the world's largest beet farm
- Go hang-gliding
Any shout-outs to teammates or coaches who've helped you reach the point to where you're about to compete at the Division 1 college level?
Coach Carper, Kroncke, Trempee, and Heling have been major influencers over the past four years, from helping me through countless pre-race nerves to making successful training plans. Of course, I can't fail to mention my parents, the biggest supporters in everything I chase after.
