Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU's NCAA Champion Makes Name For Herself
March 18, 2002 | Track I
March 18, 2002
Many athletes aspire or dream at a young age. Siri Alfheim is not one of those. She began running around the age of 21. Many children start throwing a football or baseball when they are still in diapers. Not only did Alfheim start later, but she was also injured most of the time and could not practice.
"When I first started to run, I ran for four-five months and my time in the 5k was like 18 minutes, 30 seconds on a track. I was really happy with that. I hoped I could run faster in the next year, but I was injured in the fall and could not practice. There have been many seasons where I could not practice at all because I was injured," Alfheim said.
Alfheim considered giving up running. She was 21, and spent most of the time on the sideline due to injury. Had she given up running she would not have all the great accomplishments she does now. She won the Midwest Regional in cross country and was the national indoor champion in the 5k. Her time of 16:12.28 is over two minutes faster than when she started, an amazing improvement in just four years.
"I was injured and thought that if I went to Oklahoma State that things may change. I was sick and tired of everything and considered giving it up. That is when I decided to give it one more try and decided to come out here," Alfheim said.
Oklahoma State is where she met such people as teammate Alexandra Lindquist and head coach Catrina Acosta. Lindquist has been a valuable source of information and a reliable teammate to fall back on. She has also been a good person for Alfheim to relate to since Lindquist hales from Sweden. Lindquist has had similar experience having to deal with injuries and she has competed in all the big track meets. Lindquist has competed in the cross country nationals three times and track nationals twice. Acosta has been a huge influence on Alfheim.
"Catrina has supported me a lot. She has a really good work ethic and is good at observing when an athlete needs a rest. She will change practice on short notice just to give that athlete some extra time to recover. Coach Acosta has also given me my kick at the end of several races when I hear her cheering me on as I approach the finish line. Valentina Medina has also pushed me very hard in practice. She is a very good runner. I have also been supported by my another teammate and roommate, Sara Kofoed. Another person I would like to thank is my fiancee Diego Espin," Alfheim said.
The thing Alfheim realized was coming to Oklahoma State was going to be much different than her home in Norway. The senior from Kopervik, Norway, knew she was going to have to work hard if she was going to be successful. In just her second season at Oklahoma State, she ran a time of 16:14 in the 5k and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. It was at that moment that Alfheim knew she had what it takes to compete at this level.
"I was really excited when I qualified to compete in the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., last summer. It gave me the motivation I needed to train for cross country season," Alfheim said.
Alfheim made sure she was heard from during the 2001 cross country season. She finished in the Top 5 in six out of the seven races she competed in. She was the Big 12 runner-up and the Midwest Regional champion in back-to-back races. She led Oklahoma State to the NCAA Cross Country meet for only the fourth time in school history and the first since 1998. At the NCAA meet, Alfheim may have ran the most disappointing race of her career, but with a valid excuse. She had suffered from the flu all week and was very sick in the days leading up to the race. She was not going to let that stop her from running, however. She managed to finish in the Top 100, but it was the first time all season that she was not the first Cowgirl to cross the finish line.
Alfheim was able to get healthy and prepare for the indoor track season. She would once again be a force to be reckoned with. The Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., was where she got her fabulous indoor season started. She won the 3,000-meter run and qualified for the NCAA Championships with a time of 9:35.22. That was just the first of things to come from Alfheim. She went on to the Big 12 Championships in Lincoln, Neb. where she surprised many people except those at Oklahoma State.
Acosta and the rest of the program knew what she was capable of. Alfheim ran to a runner-up finish in the 5k and an automatic NCAA qualifying time of 16:15.05. She then followed that up the next day with a third-place finish in the 3k and an even better time than the one she ran at the Tyson Invitational. Her time this time was a provisional time of 9:27.22.
Alfheim had qualified for the biggest meet of the season. The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships were conducted on a track she was familiar with in the Randal Tyson Indoor Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. She had ran against some of the top runners in the country already and knew what they were capable. Being the smart runner that she is, she started the race slow but was hanging around the lead pack. She was able to conserve her energy towards the end of the race when she was ready to make her kick.
At the end of the race there was a new NCAA Champion. Alfheim had overtaken the leaders and was crowned the new champion in the women's 5,000-meter run. She is only the third NCAA champion in the history of the track program at Oklahoma State. Christine McMiken won the 3,000-meter run in 1985 and Jackie Goodman won the 5,000-meter run in both indoor and outdoor in 1989.
Alfheim still has the outdoor season left to compete for Oklahoma State before she ends her collegiate career. The only question remaining is will we hear her name after her college career is over?
"I want to keep running after college. I am going to try and qualify for the European Championships this summer. Then I have to try and take it from there," Alfheim said.
