Before the race, Yana Medvedeva ’21 is all jokes as she runs a pre-race mile jog. She laughs about the unicorn socks she is wearing, mentions the lucky recorder she’s brought to all her meets since sophomore year, and details her last adventure thrifting at Plato’s closet. But as she approaches the starting line, she’s all business. Eyes forward, Medvedeva remembers her race plan and gauges the competitors around her. She knows she has to go fast, but it’s a long distance race so she also has to pace herself. “On your mark... Get set... BOOM!” Medvedeva smashes her silver spikes against the tartan track at the sound of the gun. Leaning forward from her drive, she makes sure to stay calm while simultaneously moving up to the front of the pack. She swings her arms back and forth to increase momentum and steadies her breath. She sets her eyes on the back of the girl in front of her to straighten her posture. From the outside, she is graceful, but her mind is already strategizing.

Medvedeva first began distance running in seventh grade, and within two years, she was qualifying for sectionals. While she found winning enjoyable, Medvedeva’s passion for running stems from being able to form close relationships with her teammates and the unique team dynamic.

Photo courtesy of [credit name="Katherine Monroe"]

“I really liked the team environment and I really loved the team,” said Medvedeva. “I most enjoyed that it's both an individual sport but also a team sport. When you race, you're doing it for the team, but also for yourself.”

Though she was interested in the sport, Medvedeva was still unsure about which distance she wanted to race at. While experimenting, she was able to become adept in middle distance and long distance running, two very different categories. While proving herself a versatile athlete, Medvedeva demonstrated her exceptional talent by qualifying for sectionals as a young member of the team.

“It was super cool, because we qualified out to sectionals and I was a freshman. Big meets were cool; we got medals and it was super fun to race with the big dogs [or] the seniors on the team, Medvedeva said.

Even though she has already achieved great success, Medvedeva consistently continues to improve her game. Eventually, her skills as a runner complemented her love for the team, earning her the spot as co-captain of the girls track team. Head Coach James Smirk attests to Medvedeva’s aptitude for leadership.

“She’s a co-captain this year and there are a lot of responsibilities associated with that. Being a role model is one of them and she’s also there to have those individual conversations with me which makes her unique. Building that one on one relationship, she’s a master at that,” Smirk said.

Despite earning praise for her skills, Medvedeva stays modest and admits to looking up to all of her teammates for their ability to work off each other’s skills. She accredits her teammates for her strategies and success in her high school running career.

“The day before a race on the run, we'll talk about what our goals are and what strategies we might use. And the day after the race we do race debriefs to go over what we did good and bad and how we can improve for the next race,” Medvedeva said.

Along with her teammates, Medvedeva admires Head Coach Smirk for helping her stay motivated.

“I don't know if I've ever had a feeling that I wanted to quit the team because Coach Smirk is always super accommodating with that. If you're just stressed out, and you talk to him about it, he'll be totally understanding and he'll give you that time so you can be back to enjoying running,” Medvedeva said.

Medvedeva’s modesty is a result of her bright personality, immediately making an impression on teammate and co-captain Charlotte Gilmore ’21.

“Yana absolutely encapsulates the personality of the team. She always manages to make people feel welcome and hypes them up for their races. I can’t imagine the team without her level headed and cheery leadership,” Gilmore said.

But even the most optimistic athletes have times when they lack motivation. Returning back to the team this winter, Medvedva admits to struggling with maintaining the drive from the fall. During the competition season, the team would meet outside most Fridays after practice to hang out, fuel up on pasta before weekend races, and watch the bachelor. However, due to lack of competition and the cold weather preventing safe outside meetings during COVID, Yana and the team found themselves missing running and each other. Medvedeva is now working on reinstilling that motivation and camaraderie in her teammates.

“Right now, I think we're working on implementing the kind of motivation that we had in the fall, back in the spring because that's something we've been struggling with in the winter,” said Medvedeva. “We're working on seeing each other more often and getting everyone excited to come to practice again.”

With the lessons that she’s learned from her time as a competitive runner, Medvedeva reflects on her freshman self and offers advice to the incoming freshman.

“[I advise] not to be so nervous all the time about racing because when you're not nervous, you think of it as more of a fun opportunity. Just give it your best. It's so much more fun,” Medvedeva said.