Star runner has more than school on his mind
Senior cross country athlete Brent Vaughn has accomplished a lot at CU over the past four years. Vaughn has won three letters, while leading the Buffs to two national championships under coach Mark Wetmore.
Vaughn, 23, is well-known for his running prowess, but he has also maintained a 3.33 GPA as an applied math major.
The cross country star is also married to teammate Sara Vaughn. Their daughter, Ciara Grace, turns 1 on Sept. 23.
Vaughn found time in his busy schedule to sit down for a Q&A session with The Campus Press.
The Campus Press: What is your favorite thing about distance running?
Brent Vaughn: I like the aspect where you’re out there for a long time and it’s really mentally straining. And besides that, you feel really good after you run. You have a lot of good endorphins. I guess that’s my favorite part.
CP: How do you motivate yourself to push hard all the time during a meet?
Vaughn: Just having the team out there with me is enough motivation. I want to run hard for those guys, and I think that is enough in itself, besides wanting to win the race.
CP: Do you do anything specific or special before a meet to prepare yourself?
Vaughn: I don’t do anything. I don’t listen to music, nothing. Just regular old warm-up, stretch and then just go run.
CP: Do you have any specific goals for this upcoming season?
Vaughn: I’d like to do really well as a team. I think our team has a really good chance to win every meet we run in this season, and I also want to win every meet individually.
CP: How is the team looking this year as a whole?
Vaughn: The team looks pretty good. A few guys are banged up right now, but we’re looking pretty solid. We’ve got a lot of good, young guys, as well as a lot of good veterans on the team. So I think we’re looking pretty strong.
CP: What do you see yourself doing in five years?
Vaughn: Hopefully running professionally. That’d be cool.
CP: What about Olympic aspirations?
Vaughn: Yeah, I qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 5k last spring. Hopefully I can qualify in the 10k also so that I can have an option of what I’m going to run in next summer.
CP: Are there any other sports, other than cross country, that you like?
Vaughn: I like basketball and football.
CP: Who’s your favorite famous athlete?
Vaughn: Hmm, that’s a good one. Well, old school guys. I like Larry Bird and John Elway. I’m a big Broncos fan. I also like Ed McCaffrey quite a bit. I like Reggie Miller and (Michael) Jordan too.
CP: What was your family like growing up?
Vaughn: I have an older sister and a younger sister. My dad was pretty big into basketball. He always coached me growing up. (We were) definitely a competitive family.
CP: How do you feel this year is going to be different for you than past years?
Vaughn: I think this year’s going to be different just because I’ve got things figured out. Now I’m a fifth year (senior), so I know how to train and I know my body’s limits a little better. Aside from that, I’m running more mileage than ever, so I’ll be more fit this year than I ever have been.
CP: What’s it like to be a student, a Division I athlete, a husband and a father? How do you keep up with everything?
Vaughn: Last season it was pretty tough just because everything had changed. I didn’t get to go home and just take a nap whenever. I had to take care of my little daughter. Now it’s great. Once you get in the routine it’s great. We have a lot of fun. I take her walking and take her to the park. I definitely don’t have as much down time as I did before, but I like it.
Contact Campus Press staff writer Brad Cochi at bradley.cochi@colorado.edu
