Meet Alabama Cross Country Freshman Clay Austell
9/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
What brought you to Alabama?
"When I took my tour of the campus, I immediately knew I wanted to go here. The facilities and
atomosphere are incredible! I knew that if that much thought and care was put into the campus, it
would extend into the classroom as well."
In your opinion, what is your best distance race and why?
"The mile! Hands down! It's fast enough to where you have to have speed to run it, and it also can
turn into a tactical race where you have to be very aware of your positioning. It embodies the best of both worlds of distance running."
What is your favorite distance race and why?
"I love running the 800 and mile. I can't decide which I like more."
Are you competing in any new distance races that you did not train for in high school?
"I never raced anything farther than a 5k in high school, so the 8k is definitely new to me. As for
track, I don't know what event I will be running yet."
What will be the biggest challenge with the longer distance?
"It will probably be the increased mileage and longer workouts. Those are both something that have definitely been big adjustments for me."
What has been the biggest challenge in training as a collegiate athlete overall?
"There have been a lot of adjustments. Every aspect of my life has changed in some way. There's a lot more training, different sleep schedule - just learning how to balance all aspects of the college life with a collegiate sport has been an adjustment."
What has been the best part about training as a collegiate athlete?
"I absolutely love it! Running countless miles with my teammates is amazing. Coach Waters is
extremely knowledgeable and knows exactly what everyone needs training-wise."
How would you describe the Cross Country team's chemistry?
"I was shocked at how great the team chemistry was when I got here. Every guy has a place on the team and they are including of everyone. People have made an effort to reach out to me and helped show me around. They have made the transition a lot easier."
What is your favorite part about practice?
"I love just showing up and giving whatever I have in me. When you have 14 other guys alongside
you doing the same thing, it makes the hard days more bearable."
If you could compete in any event, what would it be and why?
"I would definitely be a Decathlete. It's an event where you go out and you prove you're a better
athlete than someone and have 10 events to do it. Plus you get to pole vault, which would be pretty cool."
What are you looking forward to this cross country season?
"I'm looking forward to just working on getting better and adapting to the higher mileage and intensity. I'll take it one day at a time."
What are some of your goals for this Cross Country season?
"My goal is to help the team in whatever way I can."
What motivates you?
"I'm incredibly competitive. I'm so competitive that I hate someone saying that they are more
competitive than me. If I'm doing anything I'm going to do it in a way to win the prize."
What is the greatest part about being a student-athlete for The University of Alabama?
"They treat us very well. I was unaware of the many perks we have coming in, so all of those
have been a nice surprise. Also, just to be athletes alongside professional caliber athletes is a
pretty unique experience."
What are some of your hobbies outside of training?
"I love just hanging out with people. Developing impactful relationships brings great pleasure to me. I also can handle a few games of Super Smash Brothers here and there."
