Get to Know Your Raiders: Caitlin Stuetz

 

One of the best hurdlers in both the PSAC and all of Division II, senior Caitlin Stuetz has been a standout for the women’s track & field team whether running the 60-, 100- or 400-meter hurdles throughout her career.

The Glenside native is a five-time PSAC champion, including back-to-back titles in the 100 hurdles and a 400 hurdles title last season at the PSAC Outdoor Championships. An exercise science major, Stuetz qualified for outdoor nationals last May and finished ninth in the 400 hurdles, falling one spot shy of earning All-America honors.

Stuetz’s two other conference titles are back-to-back 60 hurdles victories at each of the past two PSAC Indoor Championship meets. This weekend, Stuetz will look to make it three in a row as her and her teammates travel to Edinboro on Saturday and Sunday for the 2013 PSAC Indoor Championships.

Get to know Caitlin Stuetz…

What is your favorite pre-meet ritual?

Watching the Versus “You vs. Them” commercial. Also, I watch something to make me laugh like Phineas and Ferb’s classic “S.I.M.P. Squirrels In My Pants” music video or footage of my brother, John, dancing to Shakira’s “Beautiful Liar.”

What part of Shippensburg, either the campus or the town, do you most enjoy?

Henderson Gym to see fellow exercise science majors, the upstairs of the CUB…to nap on their couches, the main floor of the library…to nap on their couches, and the track.

What is the best class you've taken at Shippensburg?

Exercise Physiology I & II. It taught me how the body reacts to exercise and how one could enhance their performance through nutrition, along with specific types of training.

If you weren't majoring in exercise science, what would your major be?

Psychology or communication. I feel that people undermine how much these two categories influence anyone in just about any profession.

What is your favorite day of the week, and why?

Friday or Saturday. Classes are over and I can relax and visualize for the meet. This is also when the sprinter girls get together off the track and have a pasta party.

Which are your favorite PSAC schools to compete against, and why?

Slippery Rock, because we have had an ongoing rivalry for years. We tend to compete the best when we go toe-to-toe with them at the PSAC Championship.

If we asked your teammates to say a few words about you, what do you think they would say?

I think they would say that Caitlin (or Stuetz) is a determined individual who will lead and encourage the team with everything she has, keep what is in the team’s best interest at heart and leave you cracking up from a conversation or prank on Coach O.

Which individual athletic accomplishment are you most proud of?

I guess I am supposed to say making it to the NCAA 400-meter hurdle final in Colorado last outdoor season. But in reality I think just being one of the girls nominated as MVP at outdoor PSACs this past spring was the proudest I have ever been. PSACs is when we focus everything on the team. The fact that I was able to peak and have massive PRs in all my events for my team meant the most to me.

What's the most difficult part of being a student-athlete?

I believe the hardest part is realizing you are not an average student. To be successful as a student-athlete, you cannot frequently go out or kill time like most college kids. You are constantly in a time-crunch and you need to learn to adapt to that by staying ahead or at least staying afloat.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned being a student-athlete?

Organization and communication. Chances are you are going to be late or completely miss something if you are not organized and write it down. I have my trusty planner where I document everything. If we even have lunch plans I am writing it down.

What piece of advice stays with you at all times?

My daddy has told me since I was little, “One day at a time, easy does it and mind your own business.”

If you could talk to children who are just beginning to show an interest in hurdling, what would you tell them they should focus on?

Attend camps at universities that break down everything for you, watch films of pros and yourself and practice in the mirror. Hurdling is one of those things where you have to get worse before you can get better. If they’re interested in 300-meter or 400-meter hurdles, they should learn how to alternate lead and trail legs and then master it.

What legacy do you hope to leave behind for future athletes at Shippensburg?

I hope to leave a legacy behind that reminds Ship athletes to put their team before themselves. At the end of your athletic career here you will remember the memories with your teammates more than your own statistics.