In Her Own Words: Stefanie Kurgatt - Hoya, Hoya, Hoya



Hello everyone! It seems like it’s been so long since I last blogged as time really does go by fast. I hope you all are doing well and I see that there has been some great racing in the high school field. Keep it up guys, only great things lie ahead. I can’t say that I don’t miss high school running because I do and it’s been quite the transformation. But I can say that I am very happy with my decision to be here at Georgetown. I am in the process of being in the best shape that I have ever been in thanks to the great coaching and being around such hard working teammates. Coming into Georgetown I had done some summer training, but I was not really sure where I was going to fit in with the team. It was a scary thought. After a week of being here everything started to fall into place. Everyone here works together during workouts, pushes each other on and I always have someone there with me.

I think the biggest thing for me coming into college is realizing that I am capable of doing things that I never knew I could do. My mentality has completely changed because in general the volume of work has increased. I am training more and at the same time balancing classes and studying. I’m doing things that before seemed impossible to me. I’m going on long runs, that if someone asked me three months ago if I could run that far, I’d think they were absolutely crazy. The great thing about this is each and every week I am feeling stronger. I will be honest, it’s not an easy adjustment and I am still getting used to things, but it’s the challenge that keeps me going. Knowing that every little thing I do is going to help in the long run.

Being a Hoya so far has been great! Our team is shaping up well and every practice we have everyone is looks very strong. Our first race was in Dartmouth and it was amazing to see how deep our team was. Competing in my first college race was such a great experience and to be able to be on a team with these ladies was ever better. Running a race and knowing 11 other girls are out here taking what we did in practice and applying it out on the course was such a great feeling. We were also able to have lots of fun after with some crazy team bonding and that made the trip all the better. I can’t wait to see with the future has in store for us, and all I can say is watch out!

A little advice for those seniors currently in the recruiting process- just know everything you are doing in practice and in school now is going to pay off later. I know it can be tough trying to find the right college but don’t give up. Things will get hard, it is a difficult process. But you will find the right college for you and when you do  it will be like a big weight lifted off your shoulders. For me I knew Georgetown was it because I felt the passion. I felt that everyone was here to help. As Hoyas we all go through the pain together. We go through pain knowing in the end we will succeed. But we also are able to smile in the end. I felt that I was able to come in and learn what my body could achieve. Aside from running I also felt that this was the place where I could discover what I want to do academically. Whatever feeling you get when you find the college, it will be a feeling that you’ll never forget; and that is how you will know it is the right place for you. 
 

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