WASHINGTON (May 28, 2024) – Howard University Department of Athletics continues its senior spotlight series with another grad edition, this time featuring Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion Breanna McDonald (Bethesda, Md.), who was interviewed by broadcast journalism graduate Branson Brooks.
 
Q: When did your interest in cross country initially begin?
A: I have been running since the fourth grade. At the time, my mom and I were living in New York and that is when she brought me to my first cross country running club. From there, I picked up that interest and just continued running.
 
Q: What do you like most about cross country?
A: That the meets are short (lol). For indoor, the meets tend to run all day, but for cross country, it is like you get there, you run, you get on the bus and you go back home (lol).
 
Besides that, definitely running with my team and also being outside when the weather is nice. Sometimes, we were able to go to some really cool courses, so it was nice to be out in nature and see all these different trails that we were running on.
 
Q: What kept you motivated during your time at Howard?
A: I would say my intrinsic motivation. Since I started running, I have always wanted to be a runner that was considered one of the best. When I came into Howard, I was coming in with an injury, so continuing to run at the collegiate level motivated me that I could still do it.
 
Q: How has running cross country impacted your life?
A: Cross country has impacted my life by taking the things you love and being deliberate with it and keeping it at the forefront. So, if I wanted to run a certain time, there were sacrifices made. So, cross country training, in general, taught me a lot about discipline, sacrifice and endurance in order to grow.
 
Q: How do you think your teammates would have described you?
A: My teammates would describe me as tough, resilient and courageous because they have seen me go through a lot of different challenges during my collegiate career, but they have also seen me bounce back and keep going.
 
Q: How did you manage your time between training, school and extracurricular activities?
A: For me and a lot of track student-athletes, we become very in tune with time because we are always striving for a certain time in competition, but also how much time we have in a day. This past year, I would use Google calendar for time management.
 
Q: What or who will you miss at Howard?
A: I will miss my teammates and the track environment because there are two times in the day when campus was completely quiet: in the morning between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., and the evening around 5 p.m. Mostly, everyone goes inside, so I am able to sit down when it is quiet and run on my own time.
 
Q: Any last words or advice you would like to give to future Bison?
A: I would definitely say protect your mental health. I started seeing a therapist during my collegiate career and l wish I would have done this sooner because your mental health is a big part of track. You can be completely physically healthy, but if your mentality is not right, you won't be able to maximize your full potential.
 
About McDonald

• Personal:
  • Hometown: Bethesda, Md.
  • Major: Biology
• Academic Achievements at Howard:
  • MEAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team
  • MEAC Cross Country All-Academic Team
• Athletic Achievements at Howard:
  • MEAC Champion
  • All-MEAC selection

 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.