Aug. 31, 2009
By Jared Greenbaum
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Entering her senior year and final collegiate cross country season, Erica Weitz (Morganville, N.J.) is looking to improve on an already impressive UCF career.
Making considerable strides over her first two years of running for UCF, Erica's junior year was a breakout season. Weitz scored in each of UCF's meets, including leading the team with a sixth-place finish in the season-opening Knight Attack Challenge.
Weitz and the Knights will kick off their season on September 12, when they host the Black and Gold Invitational at the UCF Cross Country Complex. Weitz is noted for finishing second at the event last year. UCFAthletics.com recently spoke with Erica to get her thoughts on practice, the team, and her role as a leader.
How has practice been going?
"Practice has been going great. We have only had a couple days so far but everyone has been working so hard and doing really well. I'm very impressed. We actually have some walk-ons that are really good and shocked the coaches. I think we're going to have a great season."
Which teammates have impressed you?
"Jamie and Ocean have been doing really, really well. We have some really good new freshmen, Mason and Alyssa, and they're doing really awesome too. We have a new walk on and she's actually doing amazing. She has never actually run cross country before competitively and she's doing awesome."
What are your thoughts on the freshman?
"Alyssa and Mason are the new freshmen and they are doing amazing. I actually ran with them all summer. We would wake up at 7 o clock and go running."
Did you have a successful off-season training? Or was it more relaxed of a summer?
"Well, the summer can never be relaxed if you want to do well, so we would run about 65 miles a week. Because the more you run the better you get!"
What are your thoughts on the new on-campus course?
"Well I love it, we ran it last year for the first time, and it's really sweet because it brings out a lot of fans, and it makes cross-country well known to the school. It's a good course too, it's got a few minor hills. It's pretty flat overall."
Are you excited to have two home meets again?
"Yes I'm so excited. I'm really pumped. I'm going to tell all my friends to come and hopefully we will do amazing like we did last year because our team is looking awesome."
As a senior, have you assumed a leadership role? Do the teammates look up to you for motivation?
"Yeah, I always try to be a good leader by staying positive, but also by having fun with it also because it's a really tough sport. You have to train for it like crazy so I stay positive and try to make light of the hard times and then you always feel good when you're done."
What are your goals for this year? Both personally and as a team.
"Personally, my goals are to run a personal record every meet and peak at the end of the season. And hopefully break 18 minutes because that would be the best goal ever and I'd cry of happiness. As a team, I hope that we can place high at conference, like in the top-three. And even hopefully place at regionals and nationals. That would be awesome. We would be the first cross country team in UCF history to do that, and I think we have the potential to."
What are your post-graduate plans?
"I am supposed to graduate in May. I have no set plans, but hopefully I will go to grad school for business or marketing. I don't know exactly what I want to do yet, but hopefully get an MBA and be a general manager of a resort, or maybe work for a sports company."
Do you hope to continue running?
"Yes definitely. Marathons and hopefully train for that. Running more miles and keep running road races and stuff like that."
That is all the questions I have to ask for now, is there anything else you would like to add?
"Coach Ty is doing a great job. This is her first year being the head cross country coach. She has got some good workouts, and she really is doing well. I'm excited because I think we're going to have a great season."
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