Student Athlete Profile: Liz Wrobel

When watching the Millikin women's cross country team run, one would never guess there to be only one senior on the team; Liz Wrobel is that very senior. The Tinley Park native and Biology (Pre-Vet) major competes in her third and final year for the Big Blue. The cross country and track runner makes her part of the unique group of two-sport athletes here at Millikin. The two sports are very similar, yet very different in Wrobel's eyes, but she loves them just the same.

"My favorite part of being on the Millikin cross country team is when the whole team comes back a couple weeks before school starts in August," Wrobel said. "During those few weeks, all I have to focus on is running and I get to spend so much time with my teammates."

This is the senior's third season running for the Big Blue as she decided to take her sophomore year off to focus on schoolwork.

"I came back my junior year to run after realizing how much I missed it," Wrobel said. "Because I took a year off between seasons, I had a hard time getting adjusted to running so much again. However, I ran some great races that season and I am very happy that I had made the decision to start competitively running again. My freshman year cross country season was definitely a very challenging one. Leaving behind my high school team and coming to run at Millikin was at first, very intimidating. However, I grew a lot as a runner that year."

Last season, Wrobel turned in Millikin's 21st fastest 6K in 25:02.15. This year she says she wants to perform even better.

"For my senior year, I am hoping to cut off over a minute from my personal record for the 6K," Wrobel said. "I was having great success this season until I got very sick. Unfortunately, I was out for nearly two weeks and couldn't run. That took a toll on my fitness level but I am working very hard to finish out the season strong. At conference, I would really like to see our team do really well and all of my teammates run a great race."
So far this season, the women's cross country team has placed in second, fourth, 10th, and 24th place out of a 35-team competition. With a few meets left, the senior says she is going to leave all she can out on the race track her senior year. Wrobel's passion and love for running is something that has pushed her and helped shape her into who she is today.

"Being a Millikin cross country runner means learning how to push yourself beyond your limits in order to accomplish your goals," Wrobel said. "Running at the collegiate level has definitely been one of the most challenging things I have ever done in my life. It takes a lot of dedication to become a better runner. There are days when I don't want to do really hard workouts or I don't feel like racing, but in the end, I know I have to do it in order to become faster. In this sport, what you get out of it is exactly what you put into it. Learning how to perform well not only in running but also in school has been a very tough, rewarding experience for me."

Story by Alyssa Visvardis

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Players Mentioned

Liz Wrobel: Senior

Players Mentioned

Liz Wrobel
: Senior