Three-year veteran Caroline Schoessow finished second behind teammate Emma Benner on Sept. 17 at the St. Francis Invitational. That's just one of her highlights, along with helping her team to some first-place finishes, too.

Q: What goals have you set for yourself this season?

A: I would like to get all-state this year. That's one of my goals, and I'd like to place pretty high as a team, hopefully around top five.

Q: Doing anything differently this year?

A: We're doing a lot more miles than we have in previous years, like around 45 miles a week.

Q: What do you see as most responsible for your success?

A: My teammates and my coach are responsible for it. Without John [Coach John Fick], I would not be doing what I'm doing. And my teammates really help to push me. They really help a lot.

Q: What's your race-day routine?

A: Before a race, I take a lot of time to mentally prepare and just think about it and visualize how I want it to go. And after the race, I kind of reflect on what happened and how I could do better the next race, how I could improve.

Q: Your greatest accomplishment as a runner?

A: Seventh-grade state finish. The team got fourth place. I took 50th overall, first in my age group.

HEATHER RULE