Get to Know Your Raiders: Heather Weiss

Sophomore Heather Weiss has proven to be a versatile runner for the women’s track & field team in two seasons of competition with the Raiders.

A Myerstown native, Weiss placed fourth in the 1,500 meters at last spring’s PSAC Outdoor Championships before placing seventh in the mile at last month’s PSAC Indoor Championships.

Weiss also ran the opening leg of the PSAC Champion women’s distance medley relay squad at the indoor conference meet that earned a three-second victory over IUP.

An exercise science major, Weiss and 12 of her SU indoor track & field teammates will represent the university at the NCAA Indoor Championships this weekend. Weiss is set to run the opening 1,200-meter leg of the DMR squad.

Weiss and teammates Monique Clemons, Megan Lundy and Stephanie Pryor will likely form the lineup that will run at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday night. The Raiders are the No. 3 seed after an 11:49.89 effort at the Susquehanna Open in mid-Februrary in which Weiss ran the 800-meter leg.

Get to know Heather Weiss…

What is your favorite pre-meet ritual?

Dunkin Donuts coffee two hours before I race.

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

I love the duck pond just outside of town. It’s a great place to run to on short days, and a relaxing spot to study in nice weather.

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

Human Anatomy.

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

I’m a science nerd, so I’d have to go with biology.

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

I like Tuesdays because I can sleep in a bit, and we have evening workouts so I’m not rushing to practice after class.

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

It’s hard to pick one. I like to compete against all of them for different reasons. Normally, if someone from the PSAC beats me throughout the season, I’ll be gunning for them at the championships.

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

That I can be a hammerhead on runs and that I stress about stuff that I really shouldn’t most of the time.

Which individual athletic accomplishment are you most proud of?

Qualifying for [this weekend’s] NCAA Indoor Championships at the Susquehanna Open [on Feb. 15]. Making it to nationals on the Shippensburg DMR squad is something I only ever dreamed of doing.

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

Trying to balance everything. It’s really hard to do homework when you’re at a meet, and sometimes Sundays just aren’t long enough to get everything done.

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

Being a student-athlete made me realize that if I wanted it all bad enough, I could work hard and be a good runner and excel in school. When I’m doing well in one, it normally translates positively in the other.

What piece of advice stays with you at all times?

Coach Steve Spence always tells us that before we leave SHIP, we will all have our time to shine. When I came in as an injured redshirt, I wasn’t sure if I believed him. But in the last three years, I saw so many of my teammates grow into phenomenal athletes and I can tell you now that I fully believe him.

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

I would tell them to just love it. If I could go back to that naive freshman in high school, I would tell her to live in the moment and enjoy every second of it. I would, however, tell them to practice good running form from the start, because that is something that would have benefited me had I done so.

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

I want to continue the tradition of being on the All-American Ship Distance Medley Relay squad and to be a part of the powerhouse of the PSAC. Being on this team is something I will never forget and I’m grateful Spence saw something in me even when I thought I was never going to be a successful athlete again.