The Department of Athletics will feature a UCCS student-athlete each week during the 2018-19 academic year.  This week's Mountain Lion Spotlight features women's cross country junior Katie Novak from Glendale, Wis.
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Why did you choose UCCS? I have been coming to Colorado my whole life to ski and visit family. It’s my favorite state! The distance program seemed like the perfect fit for me and all the pieces of choosing a college fell into place.
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What is your major and why? My major is International Business because I've always wanted to study business and the international aspect allows me to keep my options open for a variety of careers.Â
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What are you planning to do after graduation? After I graduate, I plan to start a career in the sports or outdoors industry.
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What is your favorite part of being a Mountain Lion? My favorite part about being a Mountain Lion is the support behind the team and the locations and facilities we get to run in.
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What is your favorite part of being on your team here at UCCS? My favorite part of being on the women's distance team is how close we are and how we make running a completely team-oriented sport. We have hugely supportive coaches that are always there for us, whether it's running or life. Overall, it’s the people that surround the sport of cross country that make it so special and rewarding.
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What is the most difficult/rewarding part of being a student-athlete? The most difficult part of being a student-athlete is definitely managing school while being really tired and hungry. Practicing at 7 in the morning is really nice because you can focus on school or work the rest of the day, but not without being really exhausted from the morning's run or workout. Coffee is key!!! The most rewarding part of running is when we have a really good workout or meet performance and I can see all of our hard work and miles come together into a result. Also, when the team accomplishes a goal or difficult workout together, we can feel synergy and it's very rewarding as well.
