UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State women's track and field 800-meter group, including Victoria Tachinski, Rachel Gearing, Victoria Vanriele, and Allison Johnson, have had an what can only be called impressive indoor track season so far. The squad is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 800-meter category with a time of 8:15.85, and each student-athlete has also had their own individual success during the regular indoor season.
Senior Rachel Gearing said it is surreal to think that they are ranked No. 1 in the nation because she is just executing what she trains with the same teammates she is around every day.
"It's kind of surreal to think we're the number one 800 squad in the nation because every day it's just me training with and competing with the girls I like to be with. It's just we go out and run together so to think of us on top is almost an unrealistic thing," Gearing said.
"It definitely gives us some good momentum going into the postseason," freshman Allison Johnson added. "I think we all know that we have the capability to be the number one squad, but to actually see that we are the number one squad, it really just solidifies that. It has given us good confidence just knowing we can do this, we're prepared, and what we're doing is working,"
The group believes it has been a luxury to have success not only individually but also as a team. The team is supportive of each other and the group decided to not only focus on their own individual success, but to make the team's success a top priority as they headed into the postseason.
"This year we're trying to do everything as a team and we're kind of going into every race as a group, "The Penn State 800 girls." We're just a united front," said graduate student Victoria Tachinski.
"I think we're all just really best friends and we just support each other and at the end of the day it doesn't matter who's on top, we're in it together," Tachinski added.
That team mindset has helped the group to succeed in big moments.
"It eases a lot of nerves and just makes it feel like home and to be honest it's just another workout whenever you go out and race, so I really appreciate having all these girls by my side during training. It makes us better," said sophomore Victoria Vanriele.
"You know they say 'iron sharpens iron' and every day we just make each other better athletes," Vanriele added.
The 800-meter group also refer to themselves as "The dogs," a nickname the group came up with this season that keeps the group lighthearted but also a way to pump them up.
"We like to keep it lighthearted, this is going to sound weird but we like to bark at each other, it's just something we do and that's why we're known as 'the dogs,'" Gearing said.
"It's a good way for us to be goofy and keep things lighthearted but also get stuff done," Johnson added on the nickname for the group.
As the team heads into the postseason, they are looking to capitalize on their current success by continuing with what they are doing and keeping their goals in mind.
"Going into the postseason, I think as a group we all have really big goals and if we keep doing what we're doing we're going to achieve all of them," Tachinski said.
The group of Nittany Lions, or "dogs" is ready to keep their momentum going to achieve their goals. The way they have been running this season, there is no doubt that can happen.
