Name: Maleah Wardlaw
School: Olathe Northwest
Q: What does your training look like right now given the current situation?
A: Our coaches have helped by still providing us with workouts so that we have some motivation to get out there even when our season has ended.
Q: What are you doing to stay busy other than run right now?
A: watching Netflix and hanging with family.
Q: What was your most memorable race/moment?
A: My most memorable race was regionals XC this year because I ran my hardest so that it wasn't my last meet and qualified for state.
Q: What was the funniest thing that happened during your running career?
A: My sophomore year Ashton Dain and I were leading a workout on a trail by our school and we scared a deer out of the woods. It ran into the fence and broke its neck and we were nicknamed the "deer killers". Or my junior year on a run some guy training for the army was running the opposite direction and completely ran into me and knocked me over.
Q: Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
A: Ashton Dain, she's my teammate and we have gone back and forth for a while.
Q: What was your greatest accomplishment?
A: I have qualified for XC state 3 times and have lettered in XC and track every season.
Q: If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
A: I wouldn't change anything, I've made most of my best friends through running and have had such a great experience. Although I do wish I could of had one last track season.
Q: What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
A: Sophomore year of track I had a knee injury for 90% of my season.
Q: What will you miss the most?
A: I will miss the underclassman, the fun we had at meets and after meets, my coaches, and the bonding experience.
Q: What advice would you give to younger athletes?
A: Don't take anything for granted because it flies by and enjoy it because there isn't anything much like it.
Q: What kind of an impact has your coach had on you and your team?
A: My coaches have had a huge impact on me, they not only train us to be the best we can be, they also encourage us and dedicate their time to make us better athletes. They also always check up on me when they see me at school.
Q: What are your college plans?
A: I plan to go to Colorado Christian University and run cross country and track. I also plan to major in nursing.
Q: Who would you like to say 'thank you' to?
A: I would like to say thank you to Coach Sales who has been my consistent coach for the past 4 years and just for dealing with my goofiness. I also would like to say thank you to Coach Hafner who has been my 800 coach the past 2 years and who has pushed me to be the best I can. Also for just believing in me and caring about each and every one of your runners. And finally thank you to Coach Stephens who happens to be my dad's best friend from highschool for always checking up on how things were going and teaching me to fight through the pain.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A:
Q: Favorite Meal?
A: Definitely any type of pasta.
Q: If you could be any animal what would you choose? and why?
A: I would be a cheetah because they are super pretty and very fast.
Q: Your favorite superhero?
A: Spider-Man because it's played by Tom Holland.