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University of Mary Washington cross country runner Allison Hazlett trains at Pratt Park in Stafford. University of Mary Washington runner Allison Hazlett waits for her cross country teammates along with coach Stan Soper during a practice session earlier this week at Pratt Park in Stafford. |
By KURT NICOLL
There is little doubt that Allison Hazlett is a gifted and multifaceted athlete, though her training techniques appear a bit unorthodox at times and have produced some undesired consequences.
The 21-year-old biology major at the University of Mary Washington is looking to return to the NCAA Division III cross country championship meet this fall and intends to take her team with her. The senior has been slowed in the preseason with a strained quad in her left leg, but insists the injury will not stop either her or the Eagles.
"The injury was stupid because I wasn't stretching properly," Hazlett said, referring to an incident that occurred last April prior to the Capital Athletic Conference track meet. "You do little things like that and you don't think about it right away how much it could affect you. And I ran on it at [the conferencemeet], too, and put a lot of stress on it."
Eagles coach Stan Soper needs a healthy Hazlett if the Eagles are to qualify for the national meet as a team for the first time in 16 years. The opportunity is there: The qualifying from regional competition has been increased from one to two teams. But with only 11 runners, there is little room for error or serious injuries.
"I feel good with the group we have, it's just a matter of staying healthy with Allison being nicked right now, but we're optimistic that she will be feeling much better a month from now," the veteran coach said. "Hopefully we will be able to get everybody out there. I think we have a strong group."
A year ago, Hazlett made an unusual move, She gave up tennis, a sport she had been playing competitively for 12 years, to try cross country, even though she had never run in a competitive race.
Said Soper: "I had no idea what she was going to be like. When she asked about coming out, I said, 'Sure, if you want to, I don't know.'"
"Over the summer [of 2005], she was telling me what she was doing to get ready training and so forth and as soon as I heard this, I got excited, but at the same time, I got very nervous because she was doing some things that were kind of unrealistic for what we typically do during summer training.
"It was obvious that she had a lot of ability," he added. "I was just concerned if she was going to hold up physically."
Looking back, Hazlett agreed she may have overtrained a bit. Despite impressive times in practice and early in the season, her junior year was nearly derailed by a bout of mononucleosis, which she theorizes occurred to a weakened immune system due to her intense training.
The Pittsburgh native managed to regain her strength and stamina in the nick of time, though, achieving a top-five finish at the regional competition to qualify individually for nationals.
As UMW's lone entry and with only Soper and his wife to cheer her on, Hazlett placed 83rd out of a field of over 200 runners.
Soper described his runner's stellar finish as "phenomenal."
Ann Tripp, a junior from Richmond, is still amazed by what her teammate managed to accomplish as a first-time runner.
"Tennis is an isolated-to-the-court sport and very different from cross country," Tripp said. "Everyone is impressed with the way she has adjusted between the two.
"Allison's going to nationals really pulls us along and helps us. So we all have nationals in the back of our minds. We're definitely glad she came over from tennis."
As a youngster, Hazlett demonstrated her quickness afoot on a number of occasions, often finishing ahead of boys and girls alike in timed races during gym classes. She also thought her running ability and stamina helped her tennis game when confronted with three-set matches.
As a teenager, she began playing United States Tennis Association tournaments on weekends and eventually selected UMW over Franklin & Marshall and Kenyon, in part, because she thought she had a chance to make the tennis team here.
Despite being part of back-to-back CAC championship tennis teams, Hazlett was ready for a change following her sophomore season.
"A lot of my teammates graduated or weren't playing tennis anymore when I decided to switch," she recalled. "The hardest thing for me was leaving my doubles partner whom I became really good friends with."
Barring any unforeseen setbacks due to her leg injury, Hazlett is anticipating the Eagles challenging two-time defending champion Salisbury for the CAC crown, then picking up steam in the post-season.
"Nationals was awesome and hopefully the team will go this year," she said. "That's our hope because we have a really strong team this year."
To reach KURT NICOLL:
Email: knicoll@freelancestar.com
