Student Profile:  Katrina Rundhaug

Katrina Rundhaug, a pre-nursing student at UW-Madison, is runner extraordinaire. She is one of the top runners on the UW Women’s Cross Country team and recently earned an at-large invitation to compete at the 2004 Division I NCAA Cross Country (CC) Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. on November 22, 2004. She finished 59th out of 248 runners in the 6,000 meter race and was the only Wisconsin CC athlete on the women's team to compete at this level.

“It was a great experience,” says the Dodgeville, Wis., native. “It was my first time running at nationals. It was around where I expected to be this year as a sophomore.”

To earn an “at-large” berth, an athlete has to be one of the top four runners from one of nine regions across the nation whose team did not advance to the NCAAs. Two additional qualifiers also are selected to complete the group, totaling 38 athletes. All individual qualifiers must finish in the top 25 in their region.

Along with claiming first place at the 2004 Crusader Invitational in September, thereby contributing to a second-place team finish, she has garnered accolades for numerous top finishes in CC in both the 5,000 and 6,000 meters.

Rundhaug’s training routine includes running a total of 60 to 70 miles a week, with hard workouts two to four times a week, including core body strength work and weight lifting. Along with extensive training regimen, she must find time for studying and recognizes the importance of finding a balance.

“I can’t stay up all night studying … because I’ll get run down and then run poorly,” she says. “I know that I need the grades to get into the School of Nursing … this is a top priority of mine so I am working very hard to ensure I get good grades.” Rundhaug is careful to eat properly and get enough sleep to help her achieve her academic and athletic goals.

The UW athlete says that she is drawn to a nursing career, specifically, a role as a family nurse practitioner, for several reasons--demand for nurses in the job market and the variety of nursing roles-- but mostly because she wants to help others.

She explains, "As a nurse, I will have the opportunity to save and improve the lives of others, encourage and teach others how to achieve better health and ensure patients receive the best possible health care."

In academic as well as athletics, Rundhaug offers her perspective: “There is something about the feeling you get after competing and succeeding at reaching a goal that no one can take away, and you can never forget. It’s about doing the best that you can do.”

Visit her Web site to view her athletic accomplishments. http://www.uwbadgers.com/sport_news/wxc/bios/bio.aspx?id=Rundhaug_Katrina_wxc&sport=wxc