Posted 11/6/07
UW-Platteville’s Amanda Topper is a senior from Mt. Horeb, WI. She is a biology major and cross country runner.
Why did you come to UW-Platteville?
“UWP has a really good biology program, and they have a cadaver lab. I am a biology major and UWP is only 45 minutes from my home. Coach (Tom) Antczak had called me a lot over the summer, and I’d known other people that were on the team previously. Everyone said UWP was great.”
What are you planning to do after graduation?
“I am applying for medical schools right now. I am going for pre-physician’s assistant. I have heard back from a couple, and I hope to get interviews. Med school starts at the end of May. I applied to schools in Iowa, Illinois, and the rest on the east coast (Massachusetts and South Carolina).”
How do you balance studying and running both cross country and track?
“I don’t think it is as hard as people think. I have been running for 10 years now. I started in seventh grade, so I have been used to balancing school and running. I think it is a little bit easier in college because you don’t have classes for eight hours a day. Having time management skills and being on top of your studying helps. You should make sure not to leave it for the weekends because you are normally racing then.”
What does running mean to you?
“That is a hard one. I’ve always been a runner, ever since I can remember and I’ve always defined myself as a runner, so it’s everything: all my friends, it’s my number one priority, everything I’m interested in, and my life revolves around running.”
What has been your career highlight in cross country?
“I probably have two, as far as running goes. Every day with my team is great, but sophomore year I was running the Tori Neubauer Invite, it was a real breakthrough run for me, I moved from 10th on our team to sixth. I learned the difference between running and racing. Then after my sophomore year, I was able to run in regionals, which was pretty great.”
Interview by Sports Information Student Assistant Renee Gratz