Feb. 24, 2009

Senior distance runner Christa Plummer kept the Atlantic 10 3,000 meter title within the Explorer family last weekend as she won her second straight and La Salle's fourth in the past five years. She qualified for the ECAC Championship in three different events this season - the mile, the 5K and twice in the 3K. Plummer took a few minutes to give Explorer fans a glimpse into her running career.

When did you start running competitively?
I started when I was in 6th grade.

What got you into running?
I played well in other sports. There was a race by my house, so my dad got me out of the house and made me race a little bit.

Why the distance races specifically?
Because I had really good endurance. I was never really good at other distances, but I do well in long distance because I could almost run forever.

What do you really enjoy about running?
I just like the competitive aspect of it. It’s a good stress reliever.

Favorites:

Pro Sports Team: Phillies TV Show: Scrubs Movie: Grease Food: Stuffed shells Class at La Salle: Women and Religion Superpower: Flying

What other sports did you play when you grew up?
Field hockey, softball, and a little bit of basketball into middle school.

What would you say is the greatest memory of your track career?
We’ve had many accomplishments as a team. We won four A-10 championships for cross-country in my time here. That was a pretty big deal, especially the fourth one (2007) because we didn’t think we were going to win that year.

Is there any advice that you take with you when you run a race?
Coach Torpey always tells me to be confident, since that’s probably my biggest weakness.

Who do you consider your most influential role model?
People that ran for La Salle before me. Jenna Darcy and Rachel Papin have been people that have really helped me.

Now that you’re a senior yourself, what would you say to those that are just starting?
If they work hard and go along with the plan Coach Torpey sets out for them, they can definitely achieve a lot of things.

Can you talk a little bit about your experience at the NCAA Regional last year?
I worked really hard to get there and I thought I had a good shot at qualifying for nationals, but I had an awful race. Hopefully I’ll make up for it this year. (However), the atmosphere was really exciting. It was awesome, because everyone worked so hard to get there. The competition was the best.

What kinds of things do you do to prepare for a track meet?
Pretty much everything I normally do: eating, sleeping, and listening to music.

What type of music do you like?
Anything that’s upbeat, because it gets me excited.

What kind of training is involved in the distance running?
A lot of running! (laughing) I guess just a lot of long running along with workouts twice a week that are quicker and a little shorter. We run about 10 or so miles a day.

Why did you choose La Salle?
My mom said the school was good, so I went and visited it. When I went to the academic department they told me to talk to the track coach. I really liked Coach Torpey and the assistant that was here at the time.

Do you have any plans for after graduation?
I’m going to nursing school at Drexel. I’m a biology major now and will be doing an accelerated nursing program. It’s an 11-month program.

Plummer and the rest of the Explorer squad travels back to the 168th Street Armory in New York City on Friday for the NYU Last Chance Meet. Stay tuned to GoExplorers.com for complete results.