Academy of Notre Dame’s Mikayla Schneider is Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week
The junior placed third in the 800-meter run at States March 1 with a school record (indoors and outdoors) clocking of 2:11.72 – a time that ranks eighth in the country. She also helped the Notre Dame 4×400 relay finish third at States, as the team clocked 3:58.79 (ranked 29th in the country) – and her 55.4 split on the 4×4 was a personal best by two seconds, and according to Notre Dame coach Nick Vechik would be around top 10 or 15 in the U.S. if it had been run in an open 400. Schneider also placed third in the 800-meter run at the DVGTCA Meet of Champions, with a time of 2:13.05, which was ranked fourth in Pennsylvania and eighth in the country. An hour later, Schneider ran a 57.5 split (another personal best) as the anchor on the 4×400 relay, securing a fourth-place finish for Notre Dame.
Main Line Media News: What was your most vivid memory of your recent experience at States?
Mikayla Schneider: My most vivid memory is of my teammates running towards me to celebrate after our 4×400 meter relay. We couldn’t believe the time that we had run and our come-from-behind victory in our heat!
Main Line Media News: What do you think was the key to your performance in the 800-meter run at States?
Mikayla Schneider: I tried to stay relaxed before the race and not get too nervous. I was seeded highly (fourth) coming in and knew that if I raced the same as the week before, when I stayed with the lead girls at Meet of Champions, I would be able to have a great race.
Main Line Media News: What was your most vivid memory of the DVGTCA Meet of Champions 800-meter race? What do you think was the key to your performance?
Mikayla Schneider: My most vivid memory is of coming around the final turn and seeing all of my teammates cheering. I think the key to that race was staying with the top two girls because I knew that if I stayed with them I could get a fast time.
Main Line Media News: An hour later, you ran a 57.5 split as the anchor on the 4×400 relay, securing a fourth-place finish for Notre Dame. What was the key to your performance as the anchor that day, coming so soon after your record-breaking 800-meter run?
Mikayla Schneider: Our relay’s goal for that race was to place in the top six overall so we were trying to compete in our heat. I got the baton in third place and worked on making up ground from there which helped me get a good split.
Main Line Media News: What is your favorite event, and why?
Mikayla Schneider: My favorite event would have to be the 4×4. Even though I love the open 800, being a part of a relay and and racing with my teammates is the best.
Main Line Media News: What’s your favorite running venue (indoor or outdoor), and why?
Mikayla Schneider: My favorite venue would have to be Penn State because of the great races I’ve had there with my team.
Main Line Media News: What aspect of your running are you working on most recently?
Mikayla Schneider: I recently did a workout where I had to respond to an acceleration in the middle of each interval. That was really good in helping me work on reacting to a competitor making a move in the middle of a race.
Main Line Media News: Does your running strategy change at all, running indoors versus running outdoors?
Mikayla Schneider: My strategy is definitely different because an indoor track has much tighter turns and shorter straights. I have to be more focused in indoor meets on passing only on straights and trying to hold people off on the turns.
Main Line Media News: What do you think you might want to major in at college?
Mikayla Schneider: Probably something in the math/science sector.
Main Line Media News: Outside of track, do you participate in any other extracurricular activities at Academy of Notre Dame?
Mikayla Schneider: I participate in Mathletes, Student Council, Women of Hope, and the Writing Center.
Mikayla Schneider’s favorites
Book: The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown.
Author: J.K. Rowling.
TV show: Friends.
Movie: Cheaper by the Dozen.
Athlete: Mary Cain.
(To be selected as Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by her coach.)
