Quick, name the top female collegiate 800 meter runners from Minnesota.If you named Minnesota Gophers Heather Dorniden, Julie Schwengler, and Gabriele Anderson you've done pretty well, but are at least one name short of earning full credit. The Gophers haven't completely cornered the women's middle-distance market, you see. Obscured by all the success the Gopher middle distance crew has enjoyed is one Laura Hermanson, a 2004 graduate of Burnsville High School who competes for North Dakota State University.
Hermanson (pictured) clocked a PR 2:06:34 800 meters this indoor season, a mark bettered this year only by Dorniden among "local" half-milers. Now a junior, Hermanson has evolved from a high school 200m-400m runner -- she finished third in the MSHSL Class AA 400 twice and placed 6th in the 200 as an 11th-grader -- into top-notch collegiate half-miler.
The former soccer player has flourished in the shadows, however, because NDSU, still making its transition from NCAA Division II to Division I, is not yet able to send athletes to the NCAA Championships. Hermanson's mark this season would have put her in the NCAA Indoor Championship field, but for the restrictions which will expire at the end of this school year.
Down the Backstretch caught up with the speedy NDSU Bison recently ...
DtB: Were you surprised to find yourself knocking off another two seconds from your indoor 800m PR this season?
Hermanson: This indoor season went really well for me, and I am really happy with my indoor PR, as it is an overall PR as well. I was able to gain more confidence and experience with each weekend, and things feel into place quite nicely.
DtB: When you first arrived at NDSU did you know you were going to end up being an 800m person?
Hermanson: I really didn't know what to expect when I came to NDSU. I mostly trained and ran the 400 in my first year of competition. (I tested out the 800 in a couple of outdoor race). It was quite apparent to me that if I wanted to be competitive in Division I Track and Field that I would have to move up in distance.
DtB: What do you attribute your success throughout your NDSU career to?
Hermanson: With each year, my confidence in myself to compete has increased, and I think that has had a big impact on my times, but I think the most important factors to my success has been my training and the things I do outside of practice and competition time. I make a really conscious effort to eat the right foods and get enough sleep. My training has changed dramatically, even from last year to this year. I started running40 miles/week this summer and many of my workouts this season have been longer distances with shorter rest.
DtB: We couldn't help but notice your 2:06.34 this winter would have put you in the NCAA Indoor meet. How frustrating was it to miss out on the meet and have to wait until next year to compete at NCAAs??
Hermanson: It's a little frustrating to know that I would have been competing at nationals this year, but I think it would be even more frustrating if I didn't have another year of eligibility. When I first came here, nationals was a distant thought, and it is just really exciting to know that I am able to compete at that level now. I had an opportunity to run at U.S. Indoor Nationals [she ran 2:06.99 to miss finals by two places] and that was an awesome experience (not the same as nationals), and I am really looking forward to hopefully running at the Trials this summer.
DtB: What are your goals for the outdoor season?
Hermanson: I am aiming to make the [Olympic] Trials this summer in the 800. With that in mind, I am looking to run 2:04 before the outdoor season is over. We have an awesome 800 crew this year as well, and we are looking to put together some competitive 4 x 800 and 4 x Mile teams at the Drake Relays this year. That should be a fun meet! I am really excited to see what the outdoor season will bring, as I didn't think I would already be running this fast.
Photo courtesy of NDSU.
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