Tess Meehan is one of seven Hopkins athletes who will be competing at the 2016 NCAA D-III Indoor Track & Field Championships held on March 11 and 12.
The junior and former indoor track All-American will race the 3000m and anchor the women’s distance medley relay after qualifying for NCAAs this past weekend.
Meehan will be joined in the DMR by sophomore Caroline Smith, senior Megan McDonald and junior Lindsay Cheu. The relay has the second fastest time in the country this year after their performance from last weekend. Meehan dominated her leg of the relay, anchoring with a sub-five mile.
The News-Letter sat down with Meehan to discuss her NCAA qualifying race, her preparations going into nationals and her athletic career so far at Hopkins.
The News-Letter: Explain the team’s mindset going into the race this past weekend.
Tess Meehan: The girls and I were actually pretty calm considering it was our last chance to qualify for Nationals. We definitely all had nerves, but I think it actually helped that we hadn’t raced the DMR together in a couple weeks. We all knew we needed to improve a lot since our last race, so our time at the end of the day gave us a nice confidence boost.
N-L: How does the team look heading into Nationals?
TM: We are really excited with how much time we were able to take off in our race last weekend. There is definitely some pressure going into NCAAs ranked so high, but we are all trying to stay relaxed and just see what we can do. I think we can definitely drop a couple more seconds next week when we are rested and have that extra level of excitement.
N-L: Are there any teammates, friends or family that you look to for inspiration?
TM: It is really nice to be able to train with girls like Frances Leob and Sophia (Meehan’s older sister) in previous years, and this past season training with Hannah Oneda and Jordan Delane has been awesome. It really helps pushing each other and improving together. Everyone on the team works so hard and it makes you want to do the same.
N-L: What are your personal goals for the rest of the season?
TM: Personally I think I am going to try and see what I have left for the 3K on Saturday, but I would really like the DMR to try and get All-American. I think we have a great shot especially if we race the way we did last week.
N-L: Looking ahead, what do you hope to get out of your Hopkins career?
TM: I would really love for us to win Nationals again next year in cross country. This year was really disappointing, and I am very fortunate to have been on such a supportive team with some of my best friends to help make the experience a little less painful. There is just such a bond and closeness you develop with the girls throughout the season. Winning a championship with girls you’ve gotten so close to is an amazing feeling.
N-L: How have you grown as an athlete and as a person since arriving at Hopkins?
TM: I like to think that personally and athletically I have grown to become a better teammate. Spending so much time with your team, it is hard not to become invested in their performances along with your own.
Meehan and the relay will compete at the NCAA’s this weekend, accompanied by sophomore Jenn Su who will compete in the pentathlon.
The other two Jays headed to Iowa will compete for the men’s team. Andrew Barnett will go to the NCAAs with the second best score in the pole vault and Devon Conley will compete in the heptathlon.
The Jays will look to follow up on their two Conference titles this year, the fifth in a row for the men’s team and the seventh in a row for the women’s team.
