Victoria Riccardelli is a senior psychology major and a middle distance runner for the Rowan women’s track and field team as well as a runner for the Rowan cross country team. Besides her skills on the track, there are two things you will notice right away about her. She is a very comedic person and her personality is magnetic, as her teammates are always around her.
“I crack jokes because I want to make everyone comfortable,” Riccardelli said. “They are just so easy-going and approachable, they are amazing little humans. It is just so easy to be yourself around everyone on the team.”
Her Head Coach Derick “Ringo” Adamson knows how important Riccardelli is not only on the track, but off it as well.
“Victoria is a big part of the team,” Ringo said. “What they learn here will be things that they will need in real life. Everyone out here is important to the team and brings something to the team. Vic brings a lot. She may not be an Anna Sasse. But the vibes she brings to the team are good that it spreads to the others like a disease. I do not care whether you are scoring points or not, as long as they are constantly improving then I am okay with it. Everyday she comes here with a smile on her face and is putting in the work.”
Even though she constantly brings in positivity, things did not always go easy for Riccardelli. In her freshman year, she did not know if the team was for her and nearly quit.
“This is a young lady who came freshman year and sized up the group,” Ringo said. “She saw that the team was very good. She noticed she was behind, and said to me coach this may not be for me. I would not say she quit but she took the whole year off. Now this is the craziest part. So one day I am running here through the bike trail and who do I see also running, Victoria. I stop and say ‘good for you still practicing’ and that there is always room for her on my team. And then she shows up to the next practice.”
After that she kept coming to practice and learned many things about herself.
“Patience is key,” Riccardelli said. “That may sound really cliché. Coming in as a freshman I wanted to push myself instead of pacing myself. I think getting older your body changes, and you realize you do not want to get hurt because you can miss all of the fun stuff. If you are patient everything will work out in the end. That is the biggest life lesson I have learned from the team. That and shake some ass, the pain will pass.”
Her patience has paid off as she has hit her personal record again over the weekend at Widener University during the Widener Invitational.
“It felt amazing because I am nearing the end of my senior year,” Riccardelli said. “It felt good to PR once last time before my time here is up.”
With that PR, she is hoping to accomplish that one more time before the season comes to a close.
“My goal is to get below 2:40,” Riccardelli said. “I am at 2:40 right now and I want to get into the 2:30s.”
Riccardelli will be looking to hit this time in the team’s upcoming and her final meets, but with all the things she has done and learned from the team, there is little doubt that she will be successful in her next chapter.
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