Freshman distance runner Tessni Carruthers earned the first individual gold medal of the season in the women’s 1500-meter run event at the Louisiana Classics last Saturday.

“Winning the first individual medal of the season was a surprise,” Carruthers said. “I didn’t go into the race expecting much. I just wanted to open the season with a good starting point, so I was extremely happy. This early in the season, I mainly just focus on the time and not so much the placing in races.”

Carruthers and Colgate’s Chelsea Burns crossed the tape at the same time at 4:34.40 to finish first in the event. Carruthers is now third-all time at Nicholls in the event.

“Being third all-time at Nicholls is pretty cool,” Carruthers said. “I have never really been in a position to go out and break records, but now that they are within reach, it’s definitely a motivator. All the girls on the team want to go out and run fast to make the team faster in order to recruit good freshmen, and I think we’re on our way to bringing in some fast girls.”

Carruthers said she went into the meet fairly confident. “It was a pretty small meet and there wasn’t a lot of pressure, so nerves didn’t really come in as a factor.”

Carruthers has high hopes for the remainder of the season as she plans to break personal records. “Hopefully by the end of the season I can break the 4:30 barrier in the 1500 and lower my time in the 800-meter,” Carruthers said. “It’s still early in the season so if everything goes as planned I’m hoping it can all come together over the next two months.”

Carruthers’ all-time favorite event is the 1500-meter. “In high school, I always ran the 3000-meter and the 1500-meter, but in college I’ve transferred to the 1500-meter and the 800-meter,” Carruthers said. “I definitely like the 1500-meter the best, it requires a lot of speed but lots of endurance at the same time. I think people underestimate distance races on the track because they aren’t as exciting to watch as sprints or hurdles, but I think they’re just as difficult if not more.”

A native from British Columbia, Canada, Carruthers experiences homesickness at times, but has thoroughly enjoyed her time here at Nicholls thus far. “I really do like it here at Nicholls,” Carruthers said. “The school is small and the teachers really accommodate athletes who need to miss school for sports. The girls I run with are great, the team has a real family atmosphere, and it makes training and racing fun. Being part of a close-knit team makes being so far from home easier.”