Women's Cross Country | 11/11/2014 9:32:00 AM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(article posted by Emily Zadny, Student Sports Information Assistant)

Nov. 11, 2014 - Katelyn Zumpf has developed a love for running, and cross country in particular, since she was in sixth grade, following in the footsteps of her three older sisters.

Her passion for the sport landed her a spot on the North Central College women's cross country team for the last four years. One of only two seniors on the team, Zumpf is looking to close out her collegiate athletics career on a high note.

"I joke with my teammates about the reasons we run, saying "we run so we can have a the running body, meet lots of boys, and of course eat what we want!" But, truthfully, I run because I love the team and I love the sport," said Zumpf. "I can come into practice with a terrible attitude sparked by little things that happened during the day, but leave feeling the opposite. That's because that my coaches and teammates are so positive. We pick each other up when we are down and we continue to encourage and push each other to be better."

The Frankfort, Illinois native has also been a member of the swimming and diving team in the past and still competes with the track and field team in the winter and spring.
"What is nice about competing in two different sports is that it keeps you sane," said Zumpf. "It provides a change of atmosphere and prevents you from getting burnt out. The downfall of it, is that you, unlike the rest of your team, are not focusing on improving on one sport year round because you are trying to get better in both."

Another downfall is managing a loaded schedule, with cross country in the fall, swimming in the winter, and track in the spring, all on top of the rigorous academic schedule many North Central students keep. For Zumpf, a double major in mathematics and applied mathematics, it was a balancing act that she is all too familiar with.

"Much like any athlete here at NCC, you learn to prioritize and learn time management," said Zumpf. "Although we are all guilty of it sometimes, the worst thing you can do is stress out. At that point absolutely nothing gets done. It is better to take a deep breath, figure out what needs to be done, and crank it out."

"For me, the balance of a double major and athletics seems like the norm," she added. "For as long as I can remember I have been running from school, to practice, to another practice, and then back home for homework."

And she just keeps going; she is also the co-president of the Math Club, Phi Mu Epsilon, and tutors math students at Edge.

As an athlete, Zumpf is nearing the end of a solid senior cross country season. She earned All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) honors for the second straight year, crossing the finish line in ninth place at the CCIW Championships and helping the Cardinals win their first conference team championship since 2011. North Central entered the meet still highly motivated after finishing second by a single point at last year's CCIW Championships.

"Although it was disappointing to lose conference last year, and ironically by a point, we just need to realize just how far we have come as a team," said Zumpf. "We lost nearly half of our top ten from the year before due to injury or graduation and when we lined up at the start line that day, we had four freshmen within our top seven or eight."

"I do not doubt that each of us did all we could that day," she added. "We trusted in our workouts and each other, and ran our race.  Maybe the results did not turn in our favor that day, but by regionals it did!"

With both the season and her college career coming down to an end, Zumpf is looking forward t the future and taking the next step in her life. She hopes to study biostatics in graduate school and like many other college seniors, hopes to find a job soon thereafter. But with the biggest races yet to come this season, she still has a little bit of time and she hopes to make the best of it, especially with her team.

"I am really excited about how the team is doing this season," said Zumpf. "We have had a few injuries from the summer and to see them becoming healthier and beginning to integrate running back into their practices is amazing. Across the board, people are setting new personal records and I am excited to see what this championship season has in store for us."

North Central competes in the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Championships at Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winnecone, Wisconsin on Saturday. The women's race is set to begin at noon. The Cardinals, ranked 20th in the nation and fourth in the region, will be looking to improve upon a sixth-place finish in the same meet last year.