(Photo courtesy of Carli Gurholt)
Jamie Brisbois: Track & Field
Events: steeplechase, 5k
What is the biggest difference between high school and college track?
The biggest change between high school and college track are the distances — there wasn’t anything as long as a 5k or 10k in high school!
How do you plan to build off of your recent successes and go into the conference meet strong?
This has been my first outdoor track season at Lawrence, so the first few meets were more about getting a feel for the distances and competition. For the conference meet, I need to buckle down and focus staying strong through the middle of the race, that’s the hardest part!
What are your personal and the team’s goals for the conference meet?
My personal goals for the conference meet are to have a personal best time in the 5k or steeplechase — not yet determined — and perhaps score points if I’m feeling awesome! As a team, we are still growing, with a lot of new talent, so I think our main team goal is to go out and have some solid individual performances and see how competitive we can be!
Which of your events is the hardest? Why?
The steeplechase is definitely the hardest, because you need to run a roughly two-mile race while also hurdling barriers and attacking the water barrier as well!
How do you prepare for a big race?
I prepare for a big race by trying to get as much sleep as possible, eating healthy, drinking plenty of water and of course bonding with the team the night before and on the bus ride to the meet!
Carli Gurholt: Softball
You’ve been battling injuries for a while now. How do you deal with the pain and fight through it?
This is a great question and I cannot really answer it. I have never considered it an option not to fight through the pain. Our athletic trainers and coaches have me on a very tight leash — I have a hard time knowing when to stop, but they do not let me get too out of hand.
What has been your favorite memory with LU softball so far?
There have been a variety of hilarious things our coaches have done this year. It is so hard to pick just one.
What are your goals for the rest of your senior season?
We have six very important conference games coming up. As a team, coming up with big wins against Carroll, Ripon and St. Norbert would lead us closer to the conference tournament next weekend.
You recently broke Lawrence’s career home run record. How did that feel?
Honestly, because of my injury I had absolutely no offensive expectations of myself this year. Last year my season was cut short; I was not even able to hold a bat or a glove in my left hand. This year, I am happy with just being able be on the field and have a few at bats, since it was unlikely that I would hit at all prior to the season.
What are your plans for after graduation? Do you have plans to stay involved with softball?
I am having surgery right after the season so I will not be able to play softball for a while but I have the opportunity to coach middle and high school players. I am planning on going to graduate school, but down the road I would love to go into coaching and have a positive influence on young female athletes.
(courtesy Paul Wilke)