Amanda Laesch ‘10/M ’12 Spain’s collegiate experience had hills and valleys befitting a distance runner. She responded to challenges with diligence and determination to become one of the North Central College women’s cross country and track and field team’s most distinguished competitors as well as a dedicated teammate and leader.
Spain’s career opened with a flourish, as she earned College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Freshman of the Year honors with a fourth-place finish in the CCIW Cross Country Championship. Spain was among the lead runners on a squad that qualified for the 2006 NCAA Division III national championship, the first in the program’s history to do so.
“I didn’t know what a big deal that was at the time,” Spain said. “It’s hard coming in as a freshman because you don’t have all the context. It was a really cool experience, but it meant more after the fact once I realized how hard it is to qualify with the team.”
Spain qualified for the national indoor track and field championships and established a new North Central varsity record in the 5,000-meter run, then won the 10,000-meter run at the CCIW Outdoor Championship before closing the year with a ninth-place finish in the 5,000 at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Junior Championships. The onset of illness and injury, however, led Spain to consider taking advantage of another option to broaden her collegiate experience.
“I always wanted to study abroad,” Spain mentioned. “I got sick and developed some injuries and thought I might not be able to compete for the coming year, so I just decided to do it. I immersed myself fully in that experience and it was transformational for me.”
Upon returning to Naperville, Spain was the Cardinals’ top finisher at the 2008 CCIW Cross Country Championship before being sidelined again due to injury.
“I was hurt a lot of my time in college,” Spain recollected. “We adjusted my training and worked a lot on building strength. Over time, we figured out a balance and I got stronger. I had a pelvic fracture and ran through it, not realizing I had broken it…it was hard not to think my running career might be over. I saw other runners who came back from injuries so I continued to have the mentality that I would get through it.”
Recovering fully enough to qualify for the 2009 national cross country championship as an individual, Spain won CCIW titles indoors at 3,000 meters and outdoors at 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Finally free of injury, Spain enjoyed her finest season of competition in 2010-2011, earning All-America honors five times by placing 15th in cross country and sixth in the 5,000 and seventh in the distance medley relay indoors before closing her career with third-place finishes in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters outdoors. Spain set program records in the indoor 5,000 and outdoor 5,000 and 10,000 that would stand for more than a decade.
“It felt amazing,” Spain said of the long-awaited opportunity for healthy training and competition. “Mentally, I just felt really grateful, and I think that was to my advantage. I used my experience to support my teammates, telling them, ‘You’re stronger than you think you are.’ It was icing on the cake to do well and see the hard work pay off.”
Now a leader of teams as a professional, Spain continues to lean on the rigor of her athletic experience to help others develop perseverance within themselves.
“It definitely informed my ability to work with teams and encourage people when things get tough,” she said. “I’m always holding that mindset of being better every day, continuing to work on yourself, and helping others out. It definitely translates. Working hard, being kind, helping others, those are long-term wins.”
