A life full of running pays off for Swenson

It might be a bit of a stretch to say that Mia Swenson was born to run, but after sitting down and speaking with the Princeton junior for a few minutes, the idea does not seem all that far-fetched. Swenson completed her first race when she was two — "But I took a few breaks and walked most of the way" — and has been racing regularly since middle school. More recently, Swenson was a member of the women's cross country team that placed 11th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships just a few weeks ago.

Swenson first became attracted to the sport of running because of her family. Her mother, father and older sister were runners while she was growing up. Her first race was a direct result of that family influence.

"Originally, it was just going to be my dad in the race," Swenson said, "but then my sister said she wanted to do it too. After I heard that, I didn't want to be the only one left out."

It would be a couple of years before the Hamilton, Mass., native began taking to the starting line regularly with the cross country and track teams at her middle school.

There was never much of a question about which events she would concentrate on.

"I was really only ever good at the distance events," Swenson said.

Now, fast forward to the present. Swenson is one of the most consistent runners on the Princeton squad, regularly placing among the top Tiger finishers in every race. Swenson, like most distance runners, is a three-season athlete at Princeton, competing in cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring. But Swenson's favorite is cross country.

"I love cross country because it's always different," Swenson said. "There is always going to be different terrain, hills, different scenery. One race could be completely different from the next."

Now that this year's cross country season has come to a close, most people would assume that any runner would be thrilled to have a couple of weeks off to relax between the fall and spring seasons. But that is not Swenson's intention. Instead, she plans to continue her training and prepare for the next season over the holiday break.

This commitment has certainly paid off: Swenson was selected to be among Princeton's representatives at the National Cross Country Championships in Indiana. The team finished first among Ivy League squads and, with its 11th-place finish overall, proved that it was among the nation's best. Still, Swenson focused not on the individual honor of traveling to the Championships, but rather on the impact it had on the team as a whole.

"It was great to be able to go because it satisfied one of the goals we set as a team," Swenson said when asked about the meet.

Swenson was third among Tiger finishers and placed in the top half of the nation's most competitive collegiate field.

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The race capped off an impressive season for the junior, who also finished 23rd in a 182-person field at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship.

Swenson and her cross country teammates will now shift their focus to the track, where they will seek to dethrone perennial rival Cornell, the Heptagonals title holders for the past four years.

Swenson will be training for the 3,000-meter and 5,000m races on the track, where she has set impressive personal goals.

"I would like to qualify for the regional championships in the 5,000m race and be competitive at the Ivy League Championships, both in the winter and spring," she said.

Considering the strides that Swenson has made since entering Princeton, do not be surprised if you find her near the top of the results this winter.