Thursday, May 24
Pueblo, CO
All Day
Millersville University
at
NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships
Anderson Prepares for Swan Song at NCAA Championships
5/16/2012 2:24:00 PM | Women's Outdoor Track and Field
Schedule of Events · Live Video
Millersville, Pa. – Few have accomplished in Marauder Black & Gold what Elicia Anderson has over her four-year career. While Anderson's trophy mantle is jam-packed, she will attempt to add to it May 24 and 26 at the NCAA Championships in Pueblo, Colo. in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs.
The Wrightsville native will take aim at two more All-America awards, gunning for a top-eight finish in each event. “I just want to race and be patient,” Anderson said. “The goal would be to get an All-America finish, and as a bonus, it would be really nice to run a [personal best]. It's my last track race ever so I want to give it everything I have and finish knowing I did all I could. If I do that, I will be happy regardless of where I finish.”
Anderson has experience in both of these events, competing in each last year during the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships. At last year's competition, she garnered an All-America honor by finishing fourth in the 10,000-meter run and finished 11th in the 5,000-meter run. She believes her prior experience at nationals will help her because it allows her to avoid the “bright lights, big stage” feeling, saying she now knows she deserves to be there.
To call Anderson's senior season a strong one would be an understatement. She started the season by winning the 10K in the Shamrock Invitational in Carson, S.C., and set a meet-record time in the event with a 35:08.91 finish. That time was a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Championships. She automatically qualified in the event a month later at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., clocking in at 34:22.88.
In the 5,000-meter run, Anderson provisionally qualified for the national championships in the Raleigh Relays with a time of 16:44.93 and won the PSAC Championship in the event on May 4, racing to a time of 16:53.90. It was the first of two wins at the conference championship meet. She also won the 3,000-meter run with a 9:55.76 time. The 3,000-meter run is not a national championship event.
At the NCAA Championships, not only will Anderson have to compete with the rest of the field in both events, but she will also have to compete with the geographically adverse conditions of the event's location. “For distance athletes, especially, it's a challenge,” Millersville distance coach Andy Young said. “Athletes that are at sea level like ours, it is more challenging for them."
“It will be a challenge for her to deal with anything aerobically-based like the 5K or the 10K. A plus for us, though, is that just about everybody else there is in the same boat as us so she will be dealing with a level playing field,” said Young.
Anderson is also aware of the detriment the heightened altitude will put on her running style. “I'm very excited to go to Colorado,” she said. “However, the altitude will be a huge disadvantage for me. I've raced in Albuquerque, N.M., before and had a rough time with the altitude there. It's not my first time dealing with it so I have an idea of what to expect. A lot of other girls are going to be dealing with it too, so I'm not going to let that be a factor in my results.”
The Eastern York High School product's approach in the race will be key, and she wants to avoid putting any unnecessary extra pressure on herself, saying that she has been dealing with few minor injuries, but nothing that will prohibit her from competing at the highest level.
Young has a plan for Anderson's approach, wanting her to get in a position to score and place in the top eight of the 10K. “She was fourth last year [in the 10,000-meter run],” said Young. “We hope to get her to that point. Right now, she is ranked sixth this year and the 10K field is a little bit deeper than it has ever been.”
Her coach also knows that Anderson should be confident because “she knows she can hang. I think all that training she has done over the past years will allow her to perform pretty well.”
As a returning All-America finisher in the 10,000-meter run, expectations for Anderson are sky-high. However, one thing that can be assured is that the three-time All-American will give it her all, running for the final time of her illustrious career. Anderson runs the 10K at 8:10 p.m. MT on Thursday and the 5K at 8:05 p.m. MT on Saturday.
Millersville, Pa. – Few have accomplished in Marauder Black & Gold what Elicia Anderson has over her four-year career. While Anderson's trophy mantle is jam-packed, she will attempt to add to it May 24 and 26 at the NCAA Championships in Pueblo, Colo. in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs.
The Wrightsville native will take aim at two more All-America awards, gunning for a top-eight finish in each event. “I just want to race and be patient,” Anderson said. “The goal would be to get an All-America finish, and as a bonus, it would be really nice to run a [personal best]. It's my last track race ever so I want to give it everything I have and finish knowing I did all I could. If I do that, I will be happy regardless of where I finish.”
Anderson has experience in both of these events, competing in each last year during the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships. At last year's competition, she garnered an All-America honor by finishing fourth in the 10,000-meter run and finished 11th in the 5,000-meter run. She believes her prior experience at nationals will help her because it allows her to avoid the “bright lights, big stage” feeling, saying she now knows she deserves to be there.
To call Anderson's senior season a strong one would be an understatement. She started the season by winning the 10K in the Shamrock Invitational in Carson, S.C., and set a meet-record time in the event with a 35:08.91 finish. That time was a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Championships. She automatically qualified in the event a month later at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., clocking in at 34:22.88.
In the 5,000-meter run, Anderson provisionally qualified for the national championships in the Raleigh Relays with a time of 16:44.93 and won the PSAC Championship in the event on May 4, racing to a time of 16:53.90. It was the first of two wins at the conference championship meet. She also won the 3,000-meter run with a 9:55.76 time. The 3,000-meter run is not a national championship event.
At the NCAA Championships, not only will Anderson have to compete with the rest of the field in both events, but she will also have to compete with the geographically adverse conditions of the event's location. “For distance athletes, especially, it's a challenge,” Millersville distance coach Andy Young said. “Athletes that are at sea level like ours, it is more challenging for them."
“It will be a challenge for her to deal with anything aerobically-based like the 5K or the 10K. A plus for us, though, is that just about everybody else there is in the same boat as us so she will be dealing with a level playing field,” said Young.
Anderson is also aware of the detriment the heightened altitude will put on her running style. “I'm very excited to go to Colorado,” she said. “However, the altitude will be a huge disadvantage for me. I've raced in Albuquerque, N.M., before and had a rough time with the altitude there. It's not my first time dealing with it so I have an idea of what to expect. A lot of other girls are going to be dealing with it too, so I'm not going to let that be a factor in my results.”
The Eastern York High School product's approach in the race will be key, and she wants to avoid putting any unnecessary extra pressure on herself, saying that she has been dealing with few minor injuries, but nothing that will prohibit her from competing at the highest level.
Young has a plan for Anderson's approach, wanting her to get in a position to score and place in the top eight of the 10K. “She was fourth last year [in the 10,000-meter run],” said Young. “We hope to get her to that point. Right now, she is ranked sixth this year and the 10K field is a little bit deeper than it has ever been.”
Her coach also knows that Anderson should be confident because “she knows she can hang. I think all that training she has done over the past years will allow her to perform pretty well.”
As a returning All-America finisher in the 10,000-meter run, expectations for Anderson are sky-high. However, one thing that can be assured is that the three-time All-American will give it her all, running for the final time of her illustrious career. Anderson runs the 10K at 8:10 p.m. MT on Thursday and the 5K at 8:05 p.m. MT on Saturday.
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