Track | Steeplechaser Mundy looking for return trip to NCAAs
By Heather Crowley
Posted: 4/10/08, 11:01 PM EST Section: Sports
For all of Lynne Mundy's success as a runner, it may all stem from one failure as a softball player.
Mundy joined the track team in seventh grade after being cut from the softball team and quickly became arguably the top member of her team.
Eight years later, she's one of the top runners of Syracuse's team. After qualifying for the NCAA Regionals as just a freshman, she's looking to get back there as a junior.
The SU track and field teams are split up this weekend, between the Spec Towns Invitational in Athens, Ga., and the Tony Waldrop Open in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Mundy was sold on Syracuse after having conversations with SU head coach Chris Fox and was enticed by the program's dedication to winning.
Yet when Mundy arrived at SU, she quickly realized at her new track-and-field home she may not be able to be as dominant as she was in high school, with her All-State and All-County awards at Cornwall (N.Y.) High School.
At Cornwall, Mundy ran the 3,000-meter run and the steeplechase, but not at the same time. A distance runner, Mundy transitioned from running a 2,000-meter steeplechase to a 3,000-meter steeplechase. The switch of running a longer event is something that Mundy had to adjust to, something that typically happens to runners when they enter the collegiate level.
"She had to make an adjustment," Fox said. "She came from a low-mileage high school, and we are considered a medium mileage college. It was a gigantic step for her, and she just kept getting stronger and stronger. She was one of the better freshmen when she came in."
This was not always so simple for Mundy. Before coming to college she typically ran with her neighbors for shorter distances than a competitive team would.
"Yeah, it's different with the training," Mundy said. "I used to run about 35 to 40 minutes and that has been bumped up for my training. Now it's about an hour. But 1,000 meters doesn't really matter that much. I mean it does in terms of training, but not so much when you are in the race."
Mundy joined the track team in seventh grade after being cut from the softball team and quickly became arguably the top member of her team.
Eight years later, she's one of the top runners of Syracuse's team. After qualifying for the NCAA Regionals as just a freshman, she's looking to get back there as a junior.
The SU track and field teams are split up this weekend, between the Spec Towns Invitational in Athens, Ga., and the Tony Waldrop Open in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Mundy was sold on Syracuse after having conversations with SU head coach Chris Fox and was enticed by the program's dedication to winning.
Yet when Mundy arrived at SU, she quickly realized at her new track-and-field home she may not be able to be as dominant as she was in high school, with her All-State and All-County awards at Cornwall (N.Y.) High School.
At Cornwall, Mundy ran the 3,000-meter run and the steeplechase, but not at the same time. A distance runner, Mundy transitioned from running a 2,000-meter steeplechase to a 3,000-meter steeplechase. The switch of running a longer event is something that Mundy had to adjust to, something that typically happens to runners when they enter the collegiate level.
"She had to make an adjustment," Fox said. "She came from a low-mileage high school, and we are considered a medium mileage college. It was a gigantic step for her, and she just kept getting stronger and stronger. She was one of the better freshmen when she came in."
This was not always so simple for Mundy. Before coming to college she typically ran with her neighbors for shorter distances than a competitive team would.
"Yeah, it's different with the training," Mundy said. "I used to run about 35 to 40 minutes and that has been bumped up for my training. Now it's about an hour. But 1,000 meters doesn't really matter that much. I mean it does in terms of training, but not so much when you are in the race."
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