On Friday, June 10, 2011, Quakertown senior Alicia Evans was recognized at a special news conference for signing a letter of intent to accept a track scholarship to Michigan State University. Evans is a two-time PIAA Class AAA state champion in the 400-meter, capturing the gold in both 2010 and 2011. She is the first two-time state champion in Quakertown history.
Alicia Evans – Michigan State University (Track)
Major: Business with a minor in advertisingFinal list of colleges: Michigan State, Georgetown, Tennessee, Iowa State
Reasons for choosing Michigan State: “They have a great academic program as well as the other schools, but they were also in the Big 10. Their coaches are great, and their other athletes are great as well.”
When did the idea of running track at the collegiate level become a reality? “During my junior year after winning states, a lot of colleges started looking at me. I just kept on pushing myself and training harder in order to be able to succeed again this year.”
What was tougher – winning the first gold medal or winning the second? “The second one. During the beginning of the year, I actually didn’t think I was going to win. I just kept on training, and my dad kept telling me to stay positive and my friends and coaches. I just had to stay positive and train hard.”
What are your goals at the collegiate level? “I definitely want to go out there and run at least a 53 my first year. My second year I want to be in the 52 range and so on and just keep moving down in time.”
Coach Jason Anderson says: “She had a lot of pressure on herself after winning states as a junior. She had already done it once. She had achieved that success at the end of the season, and you hope you will start the next season and just continue to progress. It doesn’t happen right away because you’ve taken some time off. It’s really hard for any athlete to end so well and then the next year begin at the same point and keep progressing. It was tough on her early on because of the expectations not only of everyone around her but on herself too. That why I credit her a lot – I think it’s definitely all her mental toughness.
“She works hard, but she’s able to stay focused. She maps out the race beforehand in her head, and she really goes the extra distance. As a coach, it’s impressive to watch someone who understands the whole mental, physical and psychological aspect of running track. She really is a champion in my book.
“She’s a very genuine person. If you talked to the teachers and students here, the consensus is she’s one of the nicest kids. I think Michigan State is lucky to get her. It’s not just that she’s a good athlete, she’s a good person. I think the sky is the limit for her because inside she’s good. She really represents our program very well.”
Former Quakertown coach Jack Sabol: “It’s hard to believe four years has gone by. I still remember the little girl coming out with bad ankles from playing freshman basketball and thinking the 100 and 200 were distance events and not being afraid to move up to the 400 when we made that decision for her. As a junior, she just exploded onto the scene. The hardest thing to do is come back and win (a state title) twice. At the beginning of the year, we weren’t too sure, but (she) really came on strong when it mattered. Michigan State got a steal here.”
- Log in to post comments
0
