Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(written by Claire Norfleet, Student Sports Information Assistant)
Apr. 25, 2016 - The phrase 'our sport is your sport's punishment' is commonly heard among cross country and track and field teams of all levels. The thought of running for enjoyment on a daily basis may turn some heads away, but North Central College junior Amanda Cortese discovered a passion for the sport during her freshman year of high school and has not turned back since.
Having an older brother involved in both cross country and track served as a significant influence for Cortese when she was searching for a new sport to try out.
"When I started high school, he kept telling me to try it [track]," said Cortese. "I told him that I hated running. Finally, I gave in and decided to give it a try and I ended up loving it."
After competing in sprints and jumps during her first track season at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Cortese made the transition to distance running following a cross country summer camp.
For a distance runner, track and cross country go hand-in-hand, so the decision to join both programs at North Central College was an easy one.
"My indoor conference track meets in high school were held at North Central so we were here every year," said Cortese. "I started talking to the coaches during my senior year and I just knew it was the right fit for me. I loved the running programs, the teams, the academics, the location and the opportunities."
Cortese was the Cardinals' third finisher at the 2014 NCAA Division III National Cross Country Championships, which was the program's third-ever appearance in the meet. After a fourth-place individual finish at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships last fall, Cortese went on to finish 27th at the Division III Midwest Region Championship where the team finished seventh.
At this winter's CCIW Indoor Track & Field Championshipos, Cortese placed second in the 3,000-meter run, third in the 5,000 and fifth in the mile. She ranks sixth all-time at North Central in both the 3,000 (10 minutes, 20.08 seconds) and 5,000 (18:02.69) while ranking eighth outdoors in the 5,000 (17:41.43) and 10th in the 10,000-meter run (38:45.71).
"The running programs at North Central have this huge sense of tradition," said Cortese. "There have been some really successful runners that have been a part of this team and we all share the program's philosophy of running for something greater than yourself. That is the most important part to me."
During her time spent away from the track, Cortese is a member of Enactus and the Entrepreneurship and International Business Organization (EIBO) on campus. As a marketing and international business major, each organization has provided the experience to eventually land a job helping companies expand across the world.
With EIBO, individuals work on international business projects such as importing olive oil from Greece or helping a small manufacturer export its products outside of the United States.
"Through Enactus, I traveled to Guatemala and conducted research for water filters and saw the process of producing coffee and chocolate," said Cortese. "We are currently working on a project to help import chocolates from an artisanal chocolate maker in Guatamela."
Although she will continue searching for a job within the international business field, Cortese would also like to run a marathon following graduation in June 2017.
The 11th-ranked Cardinals will compete at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Drake Alternative Meet on Saturday, which will be their final competition before the CCIW Outdoor Championships May 6-7 at Augustana College.
