Athlete of the Week 11/6: Katherine Sheehy (2023, Cross Country, Newburyport MA)

When did you start running competitively? 

My first race was when I was seven years old — it was a local, one-mile road race, and I did it with my dad. We “trained” for it by running around the block a few times during the week leading up to the race. After that, I continued to do local races and ran cross country and track in middle school and high school. 

Why St. Lawrence to continue your athletic career? 

My high school team really taught me how important it is to have a supportive, close-knit community when it comes to running on a team. My senior year of high school, my cross-country team had over 80 girls, and the team culture was always more important to me than how many races we won. When I visited the team at SLU, I could tell that they valued the team environment as much as I did. Everyone I met seemed so excited to meet me and show me how great it was to be a part of SLU Cross Country– including our coach, Coach Howard. She was incredibly welcoming, and I knew she would make me into a better runner, and that I’d have fun doing it. 

What’s your best advice for beginner runners?  

My biggest advice would be to value where you are at every step of the process. As hard as it can be, don’t judge yourself for what you’re capable of — be proud of what you’re capable of, and that you’re putting in the effort. 

How has the cross country team been practicing with the COVID restrictions? 

Our team is lucky because we are a small group, so we have been able to practice together recently. At the beginning of the season, we practiced in two “pods” to keep the groups even smaller. Now, we can all be together, but we always have face coverings on us during runs to protect the communities we run through, as well as daily temperature checks to ensure we’re all healthy. We also have time trials against each other as opposed to regular meets, so we can still see improvements and test our abilities while staying safe. 

What’s been your favorite part about St. Lawrence?

My favorite part of St. Lawrence is that there is so much to do and explore, and so many people to do it with! I love getting outside and hiking and camping, and I have found so many amazing friends (many of which are teammates!) that love it as much as I do. Even just staying on campus and hanging up my hammock or walking around always reminds me how thankful I am to be here.