Adrian an All-American for Third Time

Author: Erich Kahner

Eleven runners lined up for the women's 5000-meter race last weekend at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. Eleven, out of thousands of competitors across America, ran the extra mile or endured an additional hour in a stuffy fieldhouse to make it to this stage. Eleven bodies, taut with nervous tension, came to the race in hopes of becoming an All-American, or even a National Champion. Middlebury's Michela Adrian '03 found herself among this group of 11 as she toed the line, entertaining similar hopes. She would not walk away disappointed.

Adrian raced to a fourth place finish and All-American status during the recent indoor championships at Ohio Northern University. She joined seven others in placing themselves in the category of nation's best.

Adrian's strategy was simple, "I wanted to stay relaxed, have fun and run my splits." Although she fell off her demanding pace during the race, Adrian executed the first two steps of her plan to perfection. Considering all of the elements she had to deal with, this is an amazing feat.

Inside the arena, with the throngs of competitors and fans, temperatures climbed into the upper 70's. While most people found the conditions uncomfortable, there was no doubt that, during the women's 5000, the action on the track was hotter.

The runners jostled for position early in the race, forming a crowded pack of 10. After an adrenaline loaded first mile, completed in around 5 minutes and 30 seconds, reality took hold and the pack started to thin out. Most of the competitors simply fought to hang on to their position as the race wore on, but Adrian began diligently moving up in the slumping field.

"Her strength really showed through," coach Nicole Wilkerson commented about Adrian's race. "She just started to pick people off half way through." During the last half of the race, Adrian moved up from 9th to 4th.

Including cross-country, indoor and outdoor track, this was Adrian's eighth trip to nationals in eight seasons she has competed for Middlebury. She also garnered All-American honors for the third time in her college career, adding this distinction to her cross-country season last fall and the indoor track season last winter. Adrian now gets to enjoy a brief convalescence before she joins the rest of the outdoor track athletes already in training. The team travels to San Diego for Spring Break.