Arouca finds her stride at Westfield

May 20, 2010

By Rick Seto, Globe Correspondent

Kerry Arouca entered Westfield State College four years ago as an unheralded runner, but she will graduate on Saturday as one of the most decorated in program history.

The former Whitman-Hanson standout won the ECAC Division 3 title in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17 minutes, 12.49 seconds last Friday at Springfield College, finishing 34 seconds ahead of the runner-up. She will likely conclude her collegiate career at NCAA Division 3 national championships May 27-29 at Baldwin Wallace College in Ohio, competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, as well as the 5,000 meters. The field will be announced on Monday.

Arouca has earned All-American status three times at Westfield State. After missing out by one spot in the 5,000 indoors as a junior, she placed third in the steeplechase, then followed up by finishing 19th in the cross-country championships last fall and second in the indoor 5,000. All this from a runner who Westfield coach Sean O’Brien said was “nothing special out of high school.’’

An all-league runner at perennial power Whitman-Hanson, Arouca said track was not a priority when choosing schools.

“I wanted to make friends and stay in shape,’’ said Arouca, an education major. “I liked being on the varsity team and making the top seven’’ in cross-country.

What turned her college career around was the appointment of Bill Devine as the cross-country coach at Westfield State. “He introduced me to strength training: lifting twice a week, core training twice a week,’’ Arouca said. “Beforehand, all I was doing was running — nothing else. Combining the core, strength, and the running definitely made me a lot stronger.’’

Her times have dropped dramatically. She went from a 22:02 5K runner to 17 minutes flat, four seconds off the school record, and from a 6:04 miler to a 5:03.

“She found a little bit of success, and the more success she got, she hunkered down and started getting after it,’’ O’Brien said.

Arouca seemed like a natural for the steeplechase, which has 28 hurdles and seven water jumps over 3,000 meters; her first attempt was 5 seconds off the school record.

“It’s awesome,’’ said Arouca, who won this year’s New England meet (all divisions) in 10:39.81, but whose personal best is a school-record 10:31.71, set at the NCAAs last year. “It keeps your mind off of just running around the track. The race goes by so quickly. I like the challenge of it. Every time you go over the water, you think, ‘I hope I do this right. I hope I don’t fall.’ ’’