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Harsh winds blew across the campus of UNC Charlotte Tuesday, causing students to bundle up in layers of clothing as temperatures dipped into the low 30s.
While many considered the weather downright dreadful, sophomore Amanda Goetschius didn’t seem to mind.
It apparently takes a lot to faze the Charlotte harrier, who is quickly becoming one of the school’s most decorated runners in only her second year.
“[Amanda’s] very dedicated in what she’s doing,” said Charlotte distance coach Brad Herbster. “Not a lot rattles her.”
Nowhere was Goetschius’ confidence on display more than at last weekend’s NCAA Southeast Regional meet in Clemmons, NC.
Just two weeks after winning the Atlantic 10 individual title, Goetschius ran a career best time of 21:04 in the six kilometer race to place eighth out of over 230 runners.
“When the race really started to open up about two-thirds of the way through, Amanda committed,” continued Herbster about the race. “She was in a great position and she went with it.”
The result was a trip to the NCAA Championships this coming Monday in Terre Haute, IN, although it didn’t come immediately.
“I crossed the line and thought I had made it to [the] Nationals,” said Goetschius. “Brad then told me that it was a complicated process and I’d have to wait.”
In actuality, the top four individuals receive automatic bids to the NCAA Championships, but about thirty additional individual at-large bids are handed out throughout the nation.
So Goetschius was forced to wait until late Sunday night to see if she had recieved one of the at-large bids.
“It was frustrating having to wait,” said Goetschius after she heard she had recieved an at-large bid. “But I’m happy with how it turned out.”
Amanda will be the first Charlotte runner since Cassie Ficken in 2005 to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, and is just the third runner in team history to receive a bid to the NCAA’s.
For Goetschius, it is validation after a disappointing finish to her freshman spring track campaign, where she finished ninth in the A-10 women’s five kilometer final.
Over the summer, the South Jersey native increased her training from 55 miles a week to over 65 miles a week.
Goetschius and Herbster also fine-tuned her racing schedule, helping her peak in time for conference and regionals.
The training paid off, as Goetschius has won two meets this year, both in Charlotte at the Bojangles’ Invitational and the Atlantic 10 Championships. Her A-10 individual title was the first in school history, as she helped lead the Niners to a second place finish.
Success appears to come easy for the sophomore psychology major.
In high school, Goetschius was a two-time state champion in the 3,200 meter run and a three-time All-South Jersey selection in cross-country. Despite her success as a high school runner, Goetschius was not heavily recruited. She did however catch the attention of Herbster and the Niners who attrached Amanda to Charlotte over several smaller Northeast colleges.
While many runners find the transition from high school running to college running difficult, Goetschius made it look easy. In her first five collegiate races, Goetschius placed no worse than tenth, including three straight second place finishes to open the season, finishing behind fellow Niner Aja Jackson.
Goetschius finished 2007 with an All-Conference performance at the Atlantic 10, finishing seventh and a 72nd place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional meet.
“She’s a very fluid runner,” said Herbster on Goetschius’ running style. “She gets more aggressive as the race goes on.”
In person, Goetschius is anything but aggressive. Usually a reserved person, Amanda enjoys spending time with her teammates and leads the Charlotte squad by example.
Goetschius’ aggressive running nature will come in handy Monday afternoon when she lines up against the nation’s top runners in Indiana.
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