When Northwestern’s Paulina Garcia crossed the finish line at the Huskie Open on Sept. 12, she helped the Wildcats secure the victory as the team’s fifth and final scorer.
As the season progresses, coach April Likhite said she hopes the senior moves up from that fifth slot in the NU lineup.Likhite has reason to believe that will happen. Garcia, a former high school state champion and a key contributor for the Cats throughout her time at NU, looks to be in the best shape of her collegiate career.
“I just told Paulina within the past couple days that this is the fittest I’ve seen her,” Likhite said. “She put in a great summer of training, and it’s showing in workouts right now. She could walk away this season with her best season yet.”NU’s top runners early in the year have been primarily underclassmen. Freshmen Allie Mayer and Audrey Huth were NU’s top finishers at the Open.
Garcia was about 30 seconds back of Mayer in each of NU’s first two meets, but expects to join the front pack soon.
“Even though I’m the fourth or fifth runner now, I see myself in the top three at the end of the season,” Garcia said. “As the season progresses, I kind of see myself with Audrey and Allie. I really see myself pushing the pace with them during the race.”
With such a young squad, Garcia’s leadership has also been important for the Cats. Her preparation for practice provides a good example for the younger team members.
“She sets the tone just by her actions,” Likhite said. “She’s not necessarily a vocal leader among our team, but she doesn’t have to be. Her actions speak louder than any words could ever speak.”Garcia said she feels that doing little things, like controlling the pace during workouts, allows her teammates to perform their best.
“Being a senior on the team, I feel the need to encourage others on the team to just be mentally focused for a workout,” Garcia said. “During our runs, I try to make sure everyone’s on pace. I kind of set that tone with the way I get ready for the workout.”
NU will be competing in its first major national meet of the season this weekend at the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minn.
The race, hosted by No. 8 Minnesota, typically draws some of the nation’s top teams. Although the tempo early in the race should be faster than NU is used to, Garcia said she plans to help keep young teammates under control so they can finish strong.
“Individually, we’re going to be smart, run together as a pack for the first mile,” Garcia said. “We can just really stick together as a pack and work together as a team to finish the race.”
