TEMPE, Ariz.—Arizona State track and field’s senior Shelby Houlihan, the Pac-12 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, will attempt to defend her 1500m title at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
In 2014, Houlihan won the 1500m finals in 4:18.10, earning her first career NCAA title. This year, she finished with the top time at the NCAA West Prelim meet in both the first round and the quarterfinals, running 4:20.54 and 4:13.26, respectively.
A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Houlihan will also run in the finals of the 5000m run. After defending her title in the event at the Pac-12 Championships on May 17, Houlihan qualified with the fifth-fastest time in the West, a personal best 15:54.21.
Thoughts on the NCAA Championships From Shelby Houlihan
On qualifying for both the 1500m and 5000m races:
“That was a little difficult but it was a work week, so I knew going into it I’d be a little tired, but still felt really strong through out, so I was fine. The 1500m was fine at least, the 5000m was really hard actually. I got to two miles to go and I was like ‘How do I do this?’ But no it was good though, I just kind of zoned out and focused on finishing in the top-five, and I did it so that’s good.”
“I think for myself, Bryan (McBride), and Maggie (Ewen), we just have to lead by example since we’re all competing in two events each. We just have to prepare, stay focused, and show everyone what we can do.”
On the potential for pressure to bring in big points:
“I used to feel pressure, but now I just kind of expect it of myself. I don’t put a whole lot of pressure on me, and I don’t really feel that from anyone else on the team either. But I know what I want to do and so I just expect myself to do it I guess.”
On the short time between races:
“It was mostly just trying to recover enough. We did a lot, I got ice, to try to cool my body temperature down, and just flushing stuff out. I only probably sat there doing nothing for like five or ten minutes before I had to start warming up again, so it was a little stressful but it wasn’t horrible. I had a little more time at Pac-12’s, so that was, I don’t know I felt a lot better at Pac-12’s, but hopefully I’ll feel good at nationals, since there will be more time between races there too.”
On how the short time in Texas will help going into the finals in Oregon:
“Austin has a lot more harsh conditions, it’s more humid and everything, hopefully Eugene will be a lit nicer so it’ll just be easier to that double and hopefully I’ll feel better and it maybe won’t take as much out of me as it did with the heat.”
On the number of Sun Devil seniors competing at NCAAs:
“Everyone’s getting better each year, your senior year you hope to be the best you can be, I just hope that is paves the way for everyone else that’s younger. They see what is possible, what they can do; it’s really a possibility for everyone to be at nationals. I just hope they see that and they get it and get there in years to come.”
On advice she’d give to the first-time qualifiers on the team:
“It’s about not making it more than it is. It’s just another meet, you practice every day for this, it’s just controlling your nerves. I know when I went in cross-country my freshmen year, I got to the national meet, and I was like ‘oh my gosh it’s nationals.’ And you freak out a little bit inside. And I thinks it’s just, being able to take a step back, calming yourself, and being able to focus when you need to focus, and just not making it more than it is.”
On the environment at Hayward Field:
“It’s an awesome environment cause everyone is so in to track, which is, you don’t really get that a lot of places. So it’s really cool to be able to go there and even I won there last year, it’ll be cool if I can go back and win again in the same place.”
On the 2014 NCAA Championships:
Last year I just focused on trying to stay calm, not getting too nervous, because I’d been there before. It’s just another race, and I think that’s a huge deal to mentally be ready for that. Even now I’m just like kind of like ‘I’ve done this before, stay focused, stay calm, it’s not a huge deal…’ I try not to make it more than it is, and I think that’s the biggest thing, is not making it more than it is. I’m just focusing on recovering so I’ll feel good back there.”
On being the only competitor attempting a double in the 1500m and 5000m
“I kind of brought it up, because I was looking at the schedule and they switched it around, and I was like ‘Well, I could actually do the 5000m because it’s like the last event, and I might as-well try it, cause it’s my last national meet.’ I want to try to do both. I did the indoor a mile and 3000m double; this is just a little further. I mean I think it’s still doable, well definitely try to win both. I’m really just focusing on trying to win the 1500m and just seeing what I have left in 5000m
On coming back as a senior to defend her title:
“It’ really cool that I’m still trying to defend it, even just winning as a junior that was really cool, cause you kind of see people win and they don’t always come back the next year and do well. Sometimes people fall off and I knew I didn’t want to be that person, I wanted to come back even stronger, try to win again.”
On her Sun Devil career:
“I think, one of the biggest things I remember was my sophomore year, after I fell at the regional meet my freshmen year, in the 800m outdoor. Then my sophomore year I came back, fell again in the 800m at indoor NCAAs, so I think that was really the turning point, where I said, ‘Okay, I’m done screwing around, trying to be in the middle, I’m going to the front, I’m going to take the lead.’ I think that’s kind of where things started turning around, that’s when I won Pac-12’s in the 1500m, that got the ball rolling. So yeah, winning Pac-12’s my sophomore year was awesome. That’s when I realized, ‘I can do this stuff, I can do everything that I want to.’ And yeah, I’ve been able to win last year and this year to Pac-12’s and National title last year, I mean that’s like the biggest thing you want to do as a college athlete, so that’s been really cool.”
On her legacy as a Sun Devil:
“I’ve been fortunate to be able to improve each year and break so many records, that’s something that not a lot of people do. I’ve been fortunate enough to stay injury free, but I hope it sets the bar for future Sun Devils and that they want to break the records… I would be totally fine with them breaking my records, just to see people, just to see the program improving.”