Tess Mathes had an immediate impact in her first season at UC Irvine, making her way into the indoor track & field record books as a freshman. The sprinter contributed to the 4x400 relay team that produced a school-record 3:48.68 at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic. She also progressed into the top-ten in program history in multiple individual events, recording a personal-best 1:37.57 in the 600m and registering a mark of 2:17.26 in the 800m.
In the latest Q&A installment, the Laguna Niguel native talks to us about the development of her passion for running and discusses the volunteer work she does in the community.
Q: What would you say were the secrets to your success so early in your career?
A: Something that I stand by, and always will, is strong work ethic. Coming into college my first goal was to ensure that I put in the work to make it onto the traveling squad for indoor and go from there. I was also very lucky that the only difference between my high school and college coach was the school name on his polo!Â
Q: When did you first develop a passion for running?
A: Growing up my mom was an endurance runner and my dad a triathlete, so I was exposed to running very young. The early mornings going up into the mountains for my mom's marathons piqued my interest and the rest is history.
Q: You were a multi-sport athlete in high school, lettering in both soccer and track & field. Why did you decide to focus solely on track & field at the collegiate level?
A: I believe that my passion lied more with track and I also believed I could take track further than soccer.Â
Q: If you had to choose just one event to compete in, which would you choose and why?
A: Especially since it's my main event, I would say the 800m. I enjoy its complexity.
Q: What are some things you like to do before competition to prepare yourself mentally and physically?
A: Before competition I visualize my race and race plan. Not only does this help calm my nerves before the race, but it gets me hyped and ready to get onto the line.
Q: Do you have a favorite post-race meal?
A: Whatever is available in the airport! When we are local, I enjoy eating sushi after races, however, when I was at Dana Hills High School, some of my teammates and coaches would go to Chili's after races.
Q: Why did you decide to major in biological sciences?
A: I've been interested in the medical field and biotechnology since I can remember so it's been highly encouraging attending a school with such strong biological and medical programs.Â
Q: What have you liked or disliked the most about online classes thus far?
A: With online classes I like being able to tailor my days even more so to fit my schedule since most of my classes entail of pre-recorded videos. However, like most other students, it has been quite a change not being able to be face-to-face with our peers.Â
Q: Do you have any other passions or hobbies outside of track & field?
A: Outside of track & field, I am a core organizer for an organization called CUSD Against Racism. CUSD Against Racism is a coalition formed about 20 minutes away from UC Irvine for the Capistrano Unified School District which encompasses most of Southern Orange County.
