Women's cross country's Casey sets good example on and off the course

It began as a means to an end, yet running soon became the ultimate end for women's cross country captain — senior Catherine Casey.

Well, almost the ultimate end. Actually Casey is driven to get out of bed by two things every morning — her love of running and her innate desire to help others. Casey has been extremely involved in helping underprivileged and mentally retarded children.

Her running career began her freshman year in high school, as she used it as a tool to help prepare for her main sport, field hockey.

However, she soon came to love running, and it became her top priority. Or at least one of her top priorities.

"I ran indoor and outdoor track as preparation for field hockey. I got interested in it because it was always what I did well. It was always the part of the game I loved," Casey said.

Casey, a New Jersey native, has always been one to focus attention away from herself. This applies to the way she approaches both cross country and community service. Her goals for cross country were always focused on making the team better.

"All my personal goals are woven in with the team's goals as a whole. I want to be able to compete with the best girls in the Ivy League, and give us a better shot of competing overall," Casey said.

She has accomplished this goal through tremendous amounts of hard work during the off-season. She began to run longer distances since the NCAA has increased the length of women's races from five kilometers to six kilometers. The move is part of ongoing effort to make the lengths of men's and women's cross country races equal. Her work has produced results. She finished fourth at the Harvard/Princeton/Yale race on October 6.

The Tigers' immediate focus is on the Heptagonal race on October 26. The team has boosted its confidence with a strong showing at the Pre-National Invitational in Greenville, S.C. Casey especially ran a very strong race, finishing the 6K course in 22 minutes, 16 seconds. That was good for 40th place overall.

The Tigers' long-term goal is to prepare for the NCAA Regional meet on November 10. By performing well at this meet, the Tigers can qualify for the NCAA Championships which will be held on November 19 at Furman University. Casey has guided Princeton successfully thus far, as the Tigers are having one of their best seasons in recent years.

Casey also runs both indoor and outdoor track for Princeton. She has run the 1000 and 3000 meters in the past, and this year looks to add the 5000m to her repertoire. The 3000 is still her strongest event, however.

Casey's most important commitment outside of running is clearly to the many service projects that she is a part of. Her senior thesis involves working with ex-offenders and their children through the Osborne Association in Brooklyn, N.Y. She worked with homeless families in East Harlem for her JP and also worked with a six-year-old autistic boy as part of the Best Buddies program. She was part of the Best Buddies program for three years.

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The program, which Casey served as SVC project coordinator for last year, is a national organization that pairs mentally retarded children with college students. Casey recognizes the importance that community-based work has had on her college career and appreciates that.

"I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing organizations and people through these different projects, and they have been some of my most valuable experiences at Princeton," Casey said. She is one athlete who understands that when all is said and done, its not winning or losing that matters, but how you play the game.