Freshman Mirro paces Division III in 800-meter
In spring 2020, then-freshman Maddie Mirro set a school record and became the Division III leader in the 800-meter. Photo courtesy of Steven Olveda.
Eight-hundred. The gun fires, and her legs spring into action. Five-hundred. The thumping of her shoes shake the ground beneath as she nears her objective. Two-hundred. Time for her to turn on the jets. Zero. Maddie Mirro is crowned the winner.
She’s not only the winner. On that March 7 day, as a freshman in her first-ever Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) race, sophomore Mirro broke the Chapman track and field record for the 800-meter by nearly three seconds.
This wasn’t an accident of a freshman stumbling onto the track and taking down a school record. An intricate plan set by track and field head coach DeAndra’e Woods helped lead Mirro to that success.
“During that specific race, we wanted her to get out hard, get herself in a good position, wake up a little bit around the 400-to-500-meter mark and then start making a move at the 300-meter mark,” Woods said. “The preparation is not just for that race. The preparation is for nationals and conference championships.”
Mirro, however, wasn’t going into the event dreaming of shattering records. She credited her individual success to her own drive.
“I just had this intrinsic motivation to do well for myself. I was able to (succeed) because I always had a good mindset and I genuinely loved the sport,” Mirro said. “I was training for myself and I didn’t let other people’s perceptions of me stand in the way.”
In addition to that mindset, Woods said Mirro entered the program with an eye on achieving her goals.
“Maddie came vibrant, excited, diligent, dedicated and hardworking,” Woods said. “The best part about having an athlete like her is that all you have to do is provide them with the tools to be successful.”
From running cross-country in the fall to track in the spring, Mirro has constantly trained her body to perform.
“I try to remind myself when I’m really scared of all the things that I have done that will contribute to a good race,” Mirro said.
On the track, preparation and mindset are the only things she can control, Mirro said. Through Woods' plan, she can begin to warm up physically, and as she gets comfortable, Mirro can shift her focus to the mental aspect of racing.
“There’s a bunch of stuff out of your control – the weather, how fast someone is next to you,” Woods said. “But you can control your preparation, your mindset, how you warm up, how you cool down, how you treat your body and what you put in your body.”