<p style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Colorado's Class of 2014 makes their decisions...</strong></p>
The backdrop figures to be a little less arid and rocky where Hannah McIntyre will be competing next school year. Colorado Track XC file photo.
Hannah McIntyre's best marks:
1600 meters - 5:08.25 (at altitude)
3200 meters - 11:23.64 (at altitude)
5K cross country - 18:14.5
Hillsdale is kind of a unique educational institution. I'm sure you appreciate the opportunity to run there, but you probably have other reasons for wanting to go there as well. Tell us a little about that...
I am really interested in a thorough liberal arts program education, and thought that a "great books" education would be what I wanted. Great books are different lists of classic books that greatly influenced the core of western thought, authors like Homer, Austen, Aristotle, Aquinas, etc. I looked at a few different schools that are considered great books schools, but found that they were too expensive and didn't offer athletics. Hillsdale turned out to be a perfect compromise--and in the end it wasn't even a compromise!. The core curriculum covers a lot of the same content as a purely great books education would, and their running program is really growing.
What's your planned program of study at Hillsdale?
I don't really know what I'm talking about at this point, but I think that I would like to do something with philosophy. My dad was a philosophy major and taught it at the Air Force Academy for a number of years, so it's just something that I've grown up around and really taken a liking to. If not philosophy, probably English. Clearly, I chose both of these subjects for their practical application...
Do you know yet what events they'll look to be fitting you into at Hillsdale?
I'm not sure. I think that I would be running something a little on the longer side - maybe the 5K or 10k during track season. I am open to trying whatever, though!
You had a very nice finish at state cross country this fall. Would that count as the highlight of your high school running career, or would we have to look elsewhere for that?
That was certainly a really happy moment and one that I worked hard for, but I think that the highlight of my running career was getting to work and run alongside my teammates. They made my time running at Palmer really special and memorable. I'm honored to call myself a Terror, and those successful moments--like state--were made so much sweeter because I could share them with my friends. The highlight of my high school running career was hurting, icing, laughing, and working with my teammates.
Are there any special goals remaining on the table for your final season of high school track and field?
This season, Coach Reno says that he would like to try me out a little in the 800, so we'll see how that goes. As always, however, I think that my main focus will be on the mile. More than anything, though, I want to do my best and have fun. I only have a few more months to spend with Palmer, and I want to make them pretty rad.
**********
Rest assured, when Hannah McIntyre is doing her best and having fun, the times are pretty impressive. She finished seventh in last year's 5A 1600 and 10th at state cross country this fall. So, however much fun she's planning on enjoying this track season, it's not likely to come at the expense of any places. Palmer only rarely travels north of El Paso County so your opportunities to see her run this spring will mostly revolve around Colorado Springs and Pueblo.
