It has been a great start for the some of the girls on the women's cross country team so far this year.
Senior Team Captain Hughnique Rolle, or "Hughie" as she is referred to by her teammates, came in first overall at the Hofstra Brick Stone Run (5K), finishing with the time of 19:15.85 last weekend.
"I felt happy and proud for myself and for my teammates because without them I would not have been able to do that," Rolle said.
Rolle said it is a major advantage to be mentally ready before each race.
"If you are physically fit but do not have the mental focus, it is harder to go through with it," Rolle said.
Rolle said she has matured a great deal since becoming a member of the Pirates.
"I have really grown tremendously here at Seton Hall, in times, team placing and PR's," Rolle said.
Although she is proud of her individual accomplishments, Rolle said she also appreciates the team aspect of the sport.
"I enjoy running and practicing with my teammates and coach," Rolle said "They make things feel right for me and help give me more confidence in my races. I don't know how well I would run if I didn't have them around."
Rolle said She enjoys running with them, knowing that they will cheer her on and have her back. She said she trains really hard, and the results of the first two meets of this season have shown that she runs to her ability.
She runs year round whether she is at college or in her home town in the Bahamas.
"Hughie" take her races, running and diet very seriously. She has a very interesting strategy when she is running in her races. While she is running, she said she always is thinking of her teammates and the runners of the opposing teams that are right beside her and in front of her.
"When I am running I like to try and pass the other runners one at a time," Rolle said. "It gets me mentally focused and thinking positive for the race."
Hughie's main goals for her senior season here at Seton Hall are to keep running forward and thinking positive.
"My goals this season are to do my best, and do better in times than the previous meet's time."
"Hughie" will run in the Asics Embry-Riddle Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla. on Saturday.
Andrew Kourakos can be reached at Andrew.Kourakos@student.shu.edu.
