Nicole Bush: Leading the Way
5/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
May 10, 2006
It looked so easy, so effortless. On April 15, at the annual Spartan Invitational, Michigan State sophomore Nicole Bush, a standout on the MSU cross country and track and field teams, crossed the line 10:40.80 after the gun sounded, signaling the start of the 3,000-meter steeplechase. In doing so, Bush, who finished 11 seconds ahead of teammate Emily Adama and nearly a minute ahead of the third-place finisher, qualified to race the event at the NCAA Regional Meet, May 26-27, in Knoxville, Tenn. An impressive individual race turns astonishing, when one considers that Bush had never competed in the steeplechase prior to that day.
"Nicole is obviously very talented," said her distance coach, Rita Arndt-Molis. "She has really found her focus and passion for running this year and it has allowed her to improve so quickly. She has been very diligent about perfecting the proper techniques (for the steeplechase), which has resulted in a quick learning curve for her."
Quick would be an understatement. Two weeks later, in her second attempt at the steeplechase, the Wyoming, Mich., native blistered the field, improving by nearly 19 seconds to take first-place in the event at the Hillsdale Relays, on April 28, in a time of 10:21.97. Sure, Bush's time was the second-fastest steeplechase performance by a Big Ten athlete to date, and placed her among the nation's top-ten in 2006, but it was just another day on the track for the Spartan sophomore, who has also regionally qualified in the 1,500 meter (4:24.61) and 5,000 meter (16:30.68) distances this season.
Ironically, Bush attributes part of her success to a bout with mononucleosis that forced her out of the cross country line-up last fall, but, following her recovery, allowed her to focus freely on the upcoming indoor and outdoor track seasons.
"My freshman year, I had so much to learn all at once and that was difficult," Bush said. "Getting sick gave me more time to focus on what I needed to improve on. I also really missed being able to compete and I think that has given me more fire and motivation this season."
For a newly refined and passionate Nicole Bush, mononucleosis may have been a blessing in disguise. The sophomore continues to improve each and every time she takes to the track, consistently turning in personal bests. She will look to contend for a conference title this weekend (May 12-14) as the Spartans host the Big Ten Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Ralph Young Field on the campus of MSU.