Q&A with Meghan Briggs

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Meghan Briggs, a three-time ACC Champion and All-American in the javelin, looks to lead the Virginia track and field team this weekend at the NCAA East Region Championships in Greensboro, N.C. Briggs holds the top mark among all competitors heading into this weekend’s competition and will look to finish in the top-12 in order to advance to the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships that take place June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore.

Question: You take the top mark into this weekend’s NCAA East Region championship. Is that something you’re excited about? Or do you feel it adds extra pressure to the meet?
Briggs: I am excited to know that I have the top mark going into the meet because I think that it gives me more confidence and makes me keep in mind that I am one of the top throwers on the east coast and I should be performing like it. However, everyone does like to see the top person go out, so there is that pressure. But my goal is not to focus on that and just go out there and do what I know how to do.

Question: Regionals are a little different this year. What is it going to take to advance to NCAAs?
Briggs: It’s going to take a consistent throw on my part. I don’t need to throw a personal best; I just need to get myself into the top 12 and then get after it at nationals.

Question: How do you feel the competition at Regionals will be this year?
Briggs: There will be some good throwers there and everyone will be very aggressive and looking for that best throw of the year, but I think that I just need to treat this like the Penn Relays meet because I have seen many of these girls before and I know how they can compete.

Question: As your senior season wraps up, what are you looking to accomplish in the time you have left?
Briggs: I really just want to take some consistent throws at the regional meet and finish in the top five and do it without any pain in my shoulder or ribs. Then that would put me at the NCAA championship where I would like to finish in the top three!

Question: Looking back through your four years, what accomplishment are you most proud of?
Briggs: I am really proud of my development with my academic career. I started off a little rough but started making the honor roll consistently and finished out on the Deans list. This University has really shaped me into the successful student-athlete that I have always wanted to be. For sports, I am really proud of myself for always showing up to the ACC Championships and taking 38 out of 40 points possible over my four years here.

Question: Virginia has become a powerhouse in the ACC in the javelin – winning more titles than all of the other schools combined. How does it feel to know you contributed to that success? And where do you think the program will be in future years?
Briggs: It is a wonderful feeling to know that you are a part of something big like that. It is something that you will never forget and go on to tell your children someday. I think this program is headed in a very successful direction. We have athletes on the team that want to be better, want to work harder and are not afraid to do it. They are very young and have so much potential. I know they are only going to get better and stronger each passing year!

Question: Do you have a most memorable meet?
Briggs: Of course there is that one meet that you will never forget. For me, that was Penn Relays. I was leading the meet the entire time before my last throw when a rival from high school threw just far enough to pass me. I am not a last throw girl, so I was really frustrated, but I just went for it and threw a lifetime best to win the meet. This was a turning point for me because I knew I was mentally prepared to answer back to challenges like that in a big meet atmosphere.

Question: What has it been like to work with and train under coach Carrie Lane?
Briggs: A real bummer … No, it’s been such a wonderful experience working with her. There is never a dull moment with Coach Lane. She has so much energy and enthusiasm that just transfers over into your training and allows you to really enjoy working hard and having fun with what you do. I am going to miss her a lot next year.

Question: Is there anything you would have done differently with your career?
Briggs: I do not think so. Maybe I wouldn’t have taken physics because it was ridiculous and I didn’t even need it for my major, but that’s about it!

Question: Final Exercises were this past weekend. As a college graduate, do you know what you plan to do with your future?
Briggs: I am going to get my RN license and go to grad school to be a nurse practitioner. I would someday like to have my own practice and focus on holistic medicine. Then I would love to have a family of my own and live near my hometown.