by Mary Albl, DyeStat
Anastasia Tucker is a student of the sport of running. Literally. As an Exercise Science major, the Hope College (Holland, Mich.) junior has masterfully combined her passions of academics and running in a way that has resulted in her becoming one of the best distance runners at the NCAA Division 3 level.
“Probably one of my favorite subjects in school is Exercise Physiology (the study of the body's responses to physical activity) and so that subject has a lot to do with running,” she said. “A lot of the research in exercise science is (conducted) on runners, and so my school work motivates me to do well in running, and my running motivates me to do well in my school work; it’s a nice relationship.”
Photo by Ana Tucker by Augustana College
At the Live in Louisville Classic earlier this month, Tucker was the top Division 3 runner in the 5,000-meter Gold Division race Oct. 2 at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park , clocking 17 minutes, 11.4 seconds to place 28th overall in a mainly Division 1 field of 299 runners.
With the championship portion of the season looming, and the Division 3 final Nov. 20 at the same venue, Tucker is set up for a strong finish to the fall and is a contender to win the individual title.
“She’s a very good student of the game,” long-time head coach Mark Northuis said. “She understands the different components that go into it.”
Quiet and shy by nature, but fierce in her passions, Tucker didn’t develop a deep relationship with running until she arrived at Herbert Henry Dow High in Midland, Mich. Running since grade school, and part of the “Girls on the Run” program, Tucker said in high school level she was struggling to motivate herself with the sport, so she turned to academics.
“When I was in high school I read a lot of training manual type books like Jack Daniels' “Running Formula,” she said. “It allowed me to take a step back and reevaluate why I'm interested and reading those types of science of running books really allowed me to find a whole new passion for the sport that I didn't have before.”
Tucker, who finished third (18:28.28) at her regional meet and was 27th (18:42.4) at the Michigan MHSAA state cross country meet her senior season, decided to stay in-state and go the Division 3 route with Hope, a Christian faith-based college. She said it was never on her radar to begin with but the balance of academic and athletic life — one that Tucker thrives off of — was at the core.
“It became really clear to me that I wanted to go to Hope when I visited,” Tucker said. “The team atmosphere is unlike anything else I've ever seen. It’s just amazing how well the girls get along. When one person succeeds, we all celebrate. Also, the focus on academics in Division 3, if I have a hard test the next day or something and I feel really stressed about it, I can miss practice and study for it, and it’s not as big of a deal as it is in other divisions.”
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