The state's top female distance runner Bethanie Brown has made her college decision, she will join fellow mainers Abby Mace & Emily Durgin at the University of Connecticut next fall. Brown who won the Class B XC title this past fall was busy traveling most weekend on her official college vists. The senior from Waterville made offiical vists to Darmouth, UCONN, University of Virgina, Furman & University of Oregon before making her final decision last week.
Bethanie burst onto the national scene last winter with her second place finish in the New England Championship Mile that saw her break the All-time Maine best as she clocked 4:56.35. She followed up that strong performance with another record breaking effort at the New Balance Indoor Nationals where she ran 10:29.04 for 2 miles to finish 4th in the nation, earning All-American status
Outdoors Bethanie continued her ascent up the national ladder as she clocked another Maine All-time best of 4:50.39 for 1600m. She won both the 1600m & 3200m at the New England Championship. Brown added another All-time Maine best at 5k during the outdoor national meet as she ran 17:11 to finish 7th.
Fast forward to this fall where she was dominate on the trails adding a course record at the Maine Festival of Champion, breaking the legendary Abbey Leonardi's CR. Brown would dominate the post-season races winning each by large margins. She placed 7th in the NE XC Championship 2 weeks after running in the lead early on before a dehydration issue happened.
It's hard to imagine that Bethanie has two track season's left, her added strength in XC should mean the record keepers should keep the erasers busy this winter & spring. When it's all said and done Brown's name will be all over the record books.
MaineTrackXC caught up with Bethanie this week, let's she what she had to say about the recruiting process and her decision to attend UCONN
Why did you choose UCONN? Was the success of the team this fall (8th at NCAA’s) a major reason?
I chose UConn because it seemed like the best overall fit for me. The location is good, I really like the coach and the team, and the school has a lot of academic options. I actually committed to UConn a few days before they placed so high at nationals, but I definitely saw that the team was doing really well and that helped me decide that I wanted to go there.
Do you think having 2 other Maine kids already on the team helped you make your decision?
Actually, when I first heard about Abby Mace and Emily Durgin going to UConn, I thought, “I guess I won’t be going to the University of Connecticut, since they already have good representation from Maine.” However, when Coach McDonough came to visit me at my house, I got a chance to talk with her in person and I realized that I really liked her, and decided to take UConn into consideration and take an official visit there. A lot of times official visits are a little weird because you don’t know anyone at all. It was actually kind of cool to see Abby and Emily on my official visit, because I knew them already.
What was the hardest part of the recruiting process?
I think the hardest part of the recruiting process was in the end, having to say no to a lot of coaches that I had communicated with over the past year. During the recruiting process, coaches e-mailed me, wrote me letters, and called me. I went into my college search with no real idea of what I wanted. I was really open to any kind of school, anywhere, so I ended up talking to a lot of coaches. In the end, I had to choose one, and that was really hard for me. There were some great coaches and programs, and I knew I just had to choose the one that felt right for me.
What will you be studying at UCONN?
I’m not sure. I usually say that I’m undecided on what I will major in. However, when I look at what UConn has to offer, I would potentially be interested in their pharmacy program, or maybe their kinesiology program. I know I especially like Chemistry, Math, and Spanish. (Ed. note Brown is ranked #1 her class)
What advice can you give to other HS athletes on the recruiting process?
When coaches start calling on July 1st, ask them questions about their training and their team, and find out which coaches you feel most comfortable with. And even though I found official visits to be a little tiring, I’m definitely glad I took them. Official visits really help you to see all the aspects of a school, besides the facts that you might hear about or read online. I feel like seeing all of my options really helped me to feel like I was choosing a school that was a good fit for me.
With the recruiting process finally behind you do you feel you’re ready for a big race at Footlocker on Saturday?
Yes! This fall has been really busy. I took five official visits, which meant being away for five different weekends. I’m really looking forward to running in the Footlocker race. It should be a fun new experience.
Bethanie's Personal Bests
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1,600 Meter Run 4:50.3 (Maine All-time best)
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Two Mile Run 10:29.04 (Maine All-time best)
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3200 Meter Run 10:31.19
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5,000 Meter Run 17:11.14 (Maine All-time best)
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800 Meter Run 2:15.44
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One Mile Run 4:56.35 (Maine All-time best)
Additional Information
Brown Chooses UConn (Morning Sentinel)
