Back-to-back school records set Carlson apart from the pack
Courtesy of Gil Bothwell
Two consecutive weekends, two school records. Annika Carlson has been on a tear of historical proportions and now finds herself as the most decorated runner in Chapman cross country history.
At the University of California, Riverside Invitational on Sept. 21, Carlson shattered the women’s 5K school record by finishing with a time of 17 minutes and 37 seconds. Her run was the first in Chapman women’s cross country history to be under 18 minutes, and she finished second in the race only six seconds behind the winner. By doing so she took sole possession of both the 5K and 6K records on the women’s side.
If that wasn’t enough, Carlson turned around one week later to further her stranglehold on the 6K crown. On Sept. 28, she bettered her own time by 23 seconds at the Cougar Challenge just a year after she set the record for the first time at the same meet.
Oh, yeah, and she was the first ever NCAA Division III All-American in Chapman history last season. That goes for the men’s or women’s side.
For Carlson, a senior communication studies major, she isn’t going to make a big deal out of her achievements. When asked about breaking the 5K record in an interview with The Panther, she shied away from heaping praise on herself.
“The opportunity to compete with my team and be surrounded by hardworking people, it’s just always special no matter what,” Carlson said. “I'm always working towards different goals, and I have that in mind when I'm training. So for me, it's just super important to be able to perform how I want to be able to with my teammates.”
She did mention that hitting personal bests is always exciting, but mainly because Carlson wants to put Chapman’s best foot forward as well as her own.
There is a reason that she has put the most impressive foot forward, though. The great athletes always have an intricacy that sets them apart from their peers. For Carlson, it’s as simple as organizing her strategy in her mind and then keeping focus during the long, dry and rough courses of Southern California.
“In my head, I divide it up by mile,” she said. “I kind of separate them into different races, and then make sure that I'm staying engaged the whole time. It's super important for me to be focused… on my race and focused on that mile and what's going on in the moment, instead of talking to myself negatively.”
Carlson continued by saying that positive reinforcement and visualization are key to her mentality throughout races.
“Before every race, I write things on my wrist,” she said. “I'll just write, ‘breathe,’ or ‘I can do this,’ or ‘focus.’ Just little reminders of what I want to do.”
Courtesy of Gil Bothwell
For practice, it's a different story.
“It's more discipline over motivation,” Carlson said. “Finding that balance between when you're actually tired, or when you're mentally tired. Finding that balance of fighting through fatigue.”
While training the body is always important for high level athletes, Carlson continually shifted focus to her mentality and her preparation for competition.
“What makes the sport so difficult, is that it is so mental,” Carlson said. “When you're out there and there's no cheering, or you're running a workout by yourself, it’s all in your head.”
A big positive about the sport for Carlson, though, is seeing herself or teammates break through that mental block.
“One of my favorite things about it is… watching my teammates succeed or watching my times go down,” she said. “It’s satisfying and it's rewarding in itself. I'd say the team aspect is a huge positive, because we're all racing for each other and with each other. That really creates a good environment.”
Carlson is the only senior on the women’s cross country team. She has dealt with the ups and downs of being the only runner in her class for four years now, and was thrust into being a role model ever since her sophomore year.
“It's weird being a senior and being the only senior,” she said. “I mean, we don't have juniors either, which is so weird.”
The unique experience of being the only bridge between the old guard and the new has given Carlson a chance to leave a deeper lasting legacy on the team.
“It’s been a bit of a rocky road throughout the years,” Carlson explained. “It was definitely an adjustment, but an opportunity to change the culture and strengthen the program. So I feel like it definitely puts pressure on me, in a sense, but also provides opportunity for a lot of growth. Because we had a lot of newcomers last year and this year, we were able to shape the program where we want it to go in the future. I think it's been a beautiful process, honestly, to watch the program change and develop and grow in such positive ways.”
The team adores Carlson. Delanie Goyette, a sophomore chemistry major, sees her record-breaking teammate as a motivating force. It’s not always what she says but what she does that pushes the rest of the roster.
“If you know Annika you know that she is organized, balanced, and stays as healthy as possible, which I think we can all aspire to be,” Goyette said. “She is always cheering for every single one of us, she celebrates alongside our accomplishments, whether or not she had a good race or workout.”
In a sport where mentality reigns king, keeping the morale of the team boosted is priority number one. Goyette says that Carlson sets the tone each time they step onto the course.
“She never brings negative energy to practices and meets,” Goyette continued. “She is also very approachable if you may have a question or just need advice or someone to talk to, because not only is she a leader, but she is also a friend first.”
The most endearing part of Carlson, though, has to do with what she does outside of athletics.
”I've known Annika for a couple of years now and I can confidently say she is one of the most caring people you will ever meet,” Goyette said. “She cares about her family, her friends, her dog Lola, her education and, of course, running. She is also a big part of Chapman C.A.R.E.S. which is an incredible organization with an amazing cause. It's refreshing to have a friend like Annika because I know I can count on her to make me laugh or have a deep conversation with.”
Chapman C.A.R.E.S., which stands for Creating a Rape-free Environment for Students, is the perfect example about how Carlson cares most about making sure those around her are protected. Whether that is her cross country teammates or her Chapman community, she promotes the wellbeing of the group over her own personal success. She just happens to also have a lot of personal success.
Cross country interim head coach, Barron Maizland, has seen her grow from a spring chicken all the way to the top of the food chain in college. Carlson came into Chapman without a ton of experience in the sport, and decided to choose the Panthers so that she could play for the lacrosse team.
“Her first season was pretty good for a freshman, she just missed out on all-region,” Maizland said. “Then the next two years she really kind of exploded and got more understanding of what training was like and how to do certain things and how to take care of yourself.”
Her ability to pick up things so quickly is a testament to the unseen hours. Carlson spends a lot of alone time working on her physical and mental strength. It’s not just what she does well, but how much goes into perfecting it.
“A Division I team would take her, and she would be outstanding,” Maizland said.
Carlson also plays lacrosse and runs track in the spring season. Parsing through her page on Chapman Athletics, you’ll see it littered with national, conference and school honors and awards for all three of her sports. This is the rap sheet of a serial winner and a criminally special athlete.
That is just one side of Carlson, though.
“Something that I love to do is just hike,” Carlson said. “I'm from Northern California, so I enjoy surfing with friends. And then something else that I really am passionate about is coffee. I like the art of it and the different processes of making it. I find that interesting.”
The stats show a story of a runner who has exceeded all of her predecessors by a country mile, but Carlson is much more than her records and awards. Her dedication to her craft, teammates and community display the type of characteristics that make a great athlete legendary.
