O-R Athlete of the Week: Katie Froelich, Peters Township
Name: Katie Froelich
Grade: Sophomore
School: Peters Township
Sport: Cross country
Froelich’s week: In the days leading up to the PIAA cross country championships, Froelich was under the weather.
“I was sick the whole week before,” Froelich said. “The previous weekend I had a fever and I really couldn’t do anything for a few days. All last week I still wasn’t feeling my best, so going into the race I didn’t have high expectations.”
Even though Froelich wasn’t at 100 percent, she found a way to continue to stay unbeaten as a cross country runner.
Froelich edged “friendly rival” Angela Zeng of South Fayette to win the Class 3A state cross country championship Saturday at Big Spring High School in Newville.
Froelich and Zeng nearly crossed the finish line at the same time, but it was Froelich, who hit the tape first to stop the clock at 17:33 and win a state title in her first season running cross country.
“We were running together the whole time, so it came down to kick at the end,” Froelich said. “We were coming down the last hill and that’s when I thought that I needed to speed it up.
“I definitely had to dig deep in different ways on Saturday. I’m so grateful for the outcome of the race. I’m a little disappointed in my time, but it’s OK.”
Froelich won the PIAA Foundational race earlier this fall at Big Spring, so that gave her an idea for what to expect from the course.
“In the last mile especially, there are a lot of hills,” Froelich said. “I knew that going in and so I did my best to save my energy for that last mile.”
Saturday’s triumph was Froelich’s third state gold. She won the Class 3A 1,600 and 3,200-meter titles in track and field in May.
Quick success: Because she played soccer for Peters Township, Froelich hadn’t raced cross country before this season, but the decision to do both sports has worked out well.
Froelich has won every event she entered.
“I love it,” Froelich said. “It’s so much fun and the environment is so positive. Everyone is kind of cheering each other on. All of the girls I’ve met are so nice and I knew some of them from track. It’s been fun, especially the team aspect. Having your team and everyone doing the same thing together is pretty cool.”
One of Froelich’s wins came at a national event in Virginia. She finished with a time of 16:53.9, which bested a field that featured girls from 18 states by eight seconds.
“Going into it, my coach told me to have fun and there wasn’t any pressure and just go run and see how you do against some of the top girls in the nation,” Froelich said. “I felt really good that race. There weren’t any hills and coming from Western PA that is kind of a benefit, because you don’t have to tackle anything huge. I saved my energy, but in the last 1K I just went, because I didn’t want to hold myself back any longer.”
Froelich is not done with cross country this year. She’s going to run the Brooks Northeast Regional Championship in New Jersey on November 21. If she finishes in the top 10, then she’ll qualify for the Brooks National Cross Country Championships in December in San Diego.
A rival and friend: Froelich gets asked about her friendship with Zeng a lot, but it’s because in almost every race they enter, they are right with each other most of the way. Froelich said having someone to race with like Zeng has made her a better runner.
“I think it’s awesome, because we push each other to our limits and both get very good outcomes,” Froelich said. “We’re really good friends, so no matter the outcome we’re happy for each other. I think it’s really helpful for training in general.”
Indoor track: After a few weeks off, Froelich will participate in the indoor track season in January. She’s going to run the New Balance Grand Prix, which is in Boston and a few other meets, including the state indoor championships at Edinboro.
“I’m looking forward to it and am excited, because we’re going to be going to a few more meets this year and not just Edinboro,” Froelich said.
Complied by Jerin Steele