Graduate student Annie Gutierrez finished off a successful two weeks with a new personal record (PR) in the 400-meter hurdles with a national top-30 time of 1:05.87 at the Mason Spring Invitational this past weekend. She also broke her own school record in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.57 at the Towson Invitational, ranking third in program history.
Gutierrez is ninth nationally in the 100 hurdles as well as top 20 in the pole vault and long jump. On April 5, Gutierrez also added another Centennial Conference Athlete of the Week award to her many accolades. Therefore, in light of her continued outstanding performance, Gutierrez is this week’s Athlete of the Week.
In an interview with The News-Letter, Gutierrez shared her thoughts on her record-breaking meet and her goals for the remainder of the season.
The News-Letter: How special does it feel to break your own school record in the long jump?
Annie Gutierrez: It always feels great to see improvement week to week, especially in the form of a PR! The season has started off busy for everybody, and the team has seen lots of PRs and nationally ranked marks already which is really exciting.
N-L: How did that accolade fuel you in setting a new PR at the Mason Spring Invitational this past weekend?
AG: Honestly, we try to view each meet and each event as a new opportunity without dwelling on the past. It's exciting to celebrate PRs, but in order to keep improving, we try not to be too overwhelmed by a single performance, good or bad.
N-L: What are some of your goals this season for other events and in general?
AG: Looking forward, I'm hoping to qualify for NCAAs in the heptathlon (and maybe some other open events!) and have lots of teammates there with me!
We look forward to seeing more of her achievements in the future — both at Hopkins and beyond.
