Alyssa Arre / Photo Editor
In her first season at UR, freshman Cammy Edwards has excelled as a member of the hurdling team on women’s track and field. Most recently, Edwards broke a school record previously set in 1994 for the 100-meter hurdles at the SUNY Cortland Classic on April 19 with a time of 15.19 seconds.
What’s your major?
Public Health: Health, Behavior & Society.
Why did you choose UR?
I knew I wanted to go east, and UR fit all the things I wanted in a school: size, urban, I could run track here, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study, so I thought the curriculum would be nice.
When did you start running track and field?
I started in sixth grade.
Why track and field?
I played soccer, basketball, and track throughout middle school and high school, but I chose track because I’m better at it. I also like how it’s both a team and individual sport.
How is collegiate track and field different from high school?
To be honest, it’s not too different, but the workouts are definitely harder, my teammates are more committed, I never had to lift in high school, and we travel farther to meets.
Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions?
I always eat strawberry Clif Shot Bloks before a race. I either wear compression socks or no socks during a race, the hurdlers always do a little handshake before a race, and I always get into the blocks the same way.
Do you have a mentor who has helped you along the way?
My high school coach was great. He always pushed me to reach my goals and set new ones and he still keeps up with my track career in college. He’s been supportive and has definitely helped me become a better hurdler.
What is the best advice a coach has given you?
My high school coach said to run my own race and forget about the competition and other distractions because track can be so mental.
What has been your favorite track and field moment this season?
My favorite moment has either been running 400 hurdles for the first time — they only had 300 hurdles in Oregon — or breaking the school record in the 100 hurdles.
What is the hardest part of track and field?
Like I said before, track is so mental, so it’s really difficult to run well when you run a bad race the week before, or when someone who previously beat you is in the same heat, or if coach seeds you at a time you don’t think you can run, or even if you don’t wear your lucky sports bra — it can throw off your whole race.
What advice do you have for incoming players?
Come into track with an open mind. The coaches, workouts, and environment are going to be different than high school, but if you love to run, jump, or throw, you should stick with it because it’s a big accomplishment to do a sport in college. You’ll enjoy it more if you’re open to new things.
Kilbridge is a member of the class of 2015.
