Five Minutes With Cack Ferrell
By Alison Wade

Cack Ferrell (right) runs with Emily Kroshus mid-way through the 2003 Heptagonal Cross Country Championships. (Both Photos: Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)

Ferrell finishes second at Heps, just ahead of Columbia's Caitlin Hickin.

Princeton senior Emily Kroshus had a banner cross country season in 2003, winning the Heptagonal Championships and finishing eighth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Throughout the fall, Kroshus was shadowed by sophomore teammate Catherine "Cack" Ferrell. When Kroshus won the Ivy League title, Ferrell was less than three seconds back, providing backup. When Kroshus had an off day due to illness at the Pre-NCAA meet, Ferrell was there to lead the team with a sixth-place finish in the "purple" race. Ferrell topped off a great season with a fifth-place finish at the Mid-Atlantic Regional and a 22nd-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, despite being involved in a many-woman pileup early on in the race. Led by Kroshus and Ferrell, the Princeton women qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in 21 years and proved that they belonged there by finishing ninth.

A graduate of St. Paul Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ferrell won a Minnesota State 3,200m title as a junior and recorded prep personal bests of 10:53.11 (3,200m) and 5:00.92 (1,600m). As a freshman at Princeton, Ferrell improved to 4:27.59 (1,500m) and 9:37.84 (indoor 3,000m). We caught up with the 19-year-old History major between the cross country and indoor track seasons.

Fast-Women.com: What can you tell us about the pileup at [the NCAA Cross Country Championships]? You seem to be the highest finisher who was involved.
Cack Ferrell: Approaching the first turn, approximately 300 meters into the race, a girl fell directly in front of me, causing me to go down behind her. At the time I was not aware of how many people fell, but upon reading Mike Scott's analysis, it sounds like numerous people were involved in the pileup. I was only down momentarily but in that time I managed to hit my head on the ground and get spiked in the shin. When I stood up, I felt like I had gone from the top 25 to 60th or 70th place. Luckily, my teammate Emily (Kroshus) was within earshot and I yelled to her for us to get back together and move up along the outside to the front pack.

I'm sure I lost some time, but I cannot say I would have placed higher had I not fallen. After falling, I just tried to get back into the race and make up the places I lost. Throughout the race, I didn't have my usual positive outlook due to the fall and hitting my head, so it was harder to motivate myself toward the end to keep racing. It was not until I was taking my shoes off that I noticed my shin, which later lead to five stitches administered in the trainer's tent.

FW: You went from being competitive at the regional level to being competitive on the national scene this season. What factors contributed to your breakthrough?
CF: After placing fifth at Regionals last year, our team made it a goal for this season to place top two at Regionals and make it to Nationals. We didn't graduate anyone and thought a National bid was within our abilities. Coming into this season with a concrete goal of making it to NCAAs was individual motivation for me to work hard to help bring the team to Iowa. Having such a goal for the team also united [us] because we were working together to achieve our goal.

Having Emily to work with definitely proved to be another factor. Last year I was not close quite close enough to train and race with her, but this year, being able to both train and race with her helped helped keep me going when I otherwise may not have been motivated enough individually to continue. She is a leader by example on the team and speaking on behalf of many girls on the team, I think she is an icon for what working hard can get you.

FW: Emily Kroshus mentioned that you may still think of yourself as a miler. Will your cross country success cause you to reconsider this? What are your plans and goals for the indoor and outdoor track seasons?
CF: I thoroughly enjoyed cross country season, but it does not change my outlook on track. I plan to run the 1,500 and the mile, intermittently doing the 800 and 3,000 as well. I never ran cross country in high school and consequently I still prefer track to cross country.

FW: You missed the first cross country meet of the season and one newspaper account attributed that to injury. What was the injury, how long were you out and how did you manage such a strong comeback?
CF: For the first meet of the season I had bursitis in my hip, keeping me from running for about two weeks. This injury came at an ideal time because I never put much emphasis on the first couple meets of the season. However, it was still hard to see my team training and racing, knowing I couldn't be out there with them. If nothing else, this motivated me to do the necessary cross training to ensure I would be ready when the trainer cleared me to [run]. The team ran very well at that first home meet and I vividly remember talking to a senior on the team, telling her I was afraid I would not make the top seven. She reminded me that hard work and diligence pays off and all I needed to do was continue cross training and I would be back racing soon.

FW: Is being a runner a major part of your identity, or is one of many things on which you choose to focus?
CF: My dad was a runner in college and ever since he encouraged me to go out for track in seventh grade it has been a major part of my identity. A close second to considering myself a student, I would consider myself an athlete and a runner. I am involved in other things, but running is undeniably my main focus. Increasingly this year, with such a strong team and a much more closely-knit group, I find myself spending more time with my team and more time doing running and cross country related things.

FW: What do you hope to be doing with your life ten years down the road?
CF: Currently, my plan is to work for two to three years before going to business school. Athletically, to some capacity, I will continue running after I graduate but at this point, I don't know how seriously.

(Interview conducted December 8, 2003, posted December 9, 2003.)