On Tap with ... Meghan McMullin

Sophomore Meghan McMullin runs on the cross-country team and hurdles for the track-and-field squad. Recently, she sat down with the ‘Prince’ to talk about Snookie, Pink Lady apples and tripping over hurdles.

Q: Where are you from, and what is it like there?

A: I'm from the Jersey Shore, about an hour away from campus. Most of the shore is nothing like the show ["The Jersey Shore"]. It's actually much more classy and not as trashy.

Q: Do people ever ask you if you know Snookie?

A: All the time—every time I mention that I’m from the Jersey Shore, that’s like the first question. I do live really close to her.

Q: When did you start running?

A: I started running in seventh and eighth grade, but I would do everything I could possibly could to not run at practice. I would hide behind bushes and cut corners and cut my warm-up in half. So I would say I probably started legitimately running freshman year [of high school].

Q: What was your reasoning?

A: I hated running! Like, I quit tennis because I hated running, and then I ended up being a college runner.

Q: How did that transition happen?

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A: I don’t know. Once I got into it, it’s a really beautiful sport. It’s just one of the best sports you could do.

Q: What do you think about when you run?

A: Well, besides it killing —my favorite thing to do is go for runs and not focus on the time or the pace and just kind of get lost in thought. It’s usually just a reflective time, and it’s very nice to be in touch with your thoughts and yourself and be introspective.

Q: What’s your least favorite thing about running?

A: I’m not sure if it’s my least favorite thing, but I find that it’s difficult because you can get really caught up in numbers. You can see progression —or lack thereof— by half a second or less, depending on the length of your race, and it definitely can drive you crazy if you don’t have a good perspective over it. It’s just really hard to keep perspective because there’s nothing subjective about the sport; it’s very honest.

Q: If you could do one other sport, what would it be?

A: I think volleyball. After going to a few volleyball games here, I think it’s the coolest sport. It’s so team-oriented and so much fun.

Q: Who’s the quirkiest member of your team?

A: It’s either going to be Julia Ratcliffe—she’s a thrower from New Zealand; she’s awesome —or Rachael Chacko. Shoutout to Chacko; I love her. She’s one peppy ball of enthusiasm.

Q: What do you like better: track and field or cross country?

A: Track and field, for sure. If I had slow-twitch muscles for cross country and my body didn’t hate it, I would probably like cross country better. But just because my body likes track better, I like track better.

Q: What do you want to major in?

A: I'm thinking about majoring in psychology with a certificate in neuroscience. I really like neuroscience a lot. I feel like I found something I really love, which I didn’t think I’d really find. Even today in lecture, Professor Graziano pulled out a puppet and was being a ventriloquist. I love that lecture every week.

Q: If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three things, what would they be?

A: I’d probably bring [sophomore teammate] Sarah Porter [and] apples.I could probably live off of them.

Q: What kind is your favorite?

A: Pink Lady. It’s really sweet; it’s like candy. The third thing I would bring is a camera and a dark room to develop in. I like photography a lot.

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not running?

A: I like to paint a lot and sketch. I haven’t been able to do it as much as I like to since I’ve been here though, but it’s like my go-to outlet.

Q: Have you ever tripped on your own feet and fallen in a race?

A: I have not done that. I’m waiting for the day when I trip over a hurdle and fall on my face. I’ve yet to do that in a race. I’ve only done it once or twice in practice in the last six or seven years. I’m waiting for it to happen.

Q: Were you scared the first time that you were running toward this stationary object?

A: I still get scared. It’s scary because you’re running pretty much full speed at something that’s not going to move for you, so, if you don’t think about it, it’s much easier. But you kind of have to because you have to focus on your form and your steps and how far away you are. I still get scared. In practice especially, I run off to the side a bunch, which is a bad habit, but during a race it’s just a different mentality, and I just have to go through with it.