University of Minnesota Duluth fifth-year cross country runner Franny Seidel is gearing up for a run Saturday in Sacramento, Calf. at the 2024 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. Before she left for Sacramento, Seidel sat down with cross country teammate and UMD Athletics communications intern Savannah Schley for an exclusive one-on-one interview.

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Seidel has been running for a long time. She ran herself through middle school cross country, ran with her high school team to a state title, ran for four whole years here at UMD, and then decided to run just one season more.

 

And this final season has certainly proved fruitful for her. In her fifth year running for the Bulldogs, Seidel has clinched her first ever individual trip to the NCAA DII Cross Country National Championships. She is the first Bulldog to accomplish this feat since Hall of Famer Morgan Place did it in 2010. 

 

I got to spend some time chatting with Franny about where her head's at for the big race this weekend, as well as share in her reflection about what this journey has meant to her. 

 

Savannah Schley: Alright, let's start from the top. When did you decide you wanted to keep running in college?

 

Franny Seidel: I wasn't necessarily sure if I wanted to run in college. I just started by reaching out to Laura Harmon, who was the coach at the time, to see if I would be able to walk on. I just wanted to see if I would be good enough to do it. Coach Harmon said yes, and then I was just focused on having a good senior season of high school track. And then COVID happened–

 

SS: Because you had your last high school season robbed from you, do you feel like that solidified that you wanted to continue racing at the next level?

 

FS: Yeah, it felt like I was getting another opportunity, and I just didn't feel like I was done after high school. 

 

SS: Fast forward to the present. Talk a little about the trajectory of your college career. What has this journey looked like for you? 

 

FS: Yeah so my freshman year- we were just practicing the whole time. Because it was during the pandemic, we weren't able to race. In my sophomore year of cross, my goal was just to be placing in the top 10 for our team. We were pretty good that year, and I got to be an alternate when we went to Nationals. My junior year I saw a little more success. I was able to run on the Nationals team that year as well, this time not just as an alternate, but as someone who was able to score. 

 

My senior year we had graduated a lot of people, and things shifted pretty significantly. That season I was consistently the number two runner for our team, which was a big adjustment. This year I've grown more confident in my position on the roster and feel like I've taken more of a leadership role on our team as well.

 

SS: What do you feel like contributed to you stepping into this current role?

 

FS: I've just gotten more confident in running and have also had teammates that have helped me become more confident and were role models to me. The great coaching staff as well. Brette and Karly have really helped me figure out who I am as a runner and a person too. All of those things played into me being a stronger runner, and then I was able to see improvement in my times and races. 

 

SS: Yeah, almost like it's all connected or something. 

 

FS: Yeah, it wasn't just one thing. It was really just a lot of hard work and a lot of people who helped me. 

 

SS: Yeah that's special. The average person who isn't super into the sport of running might not appreciate this, but as an athlete you have incredible range. You have run plenty of 400s and specialized in mid distance during the track season and are now the fastest woman on the cross country team. 

 

Did this past summer of training look different for you this year knowing that you wouldn't have track in the spring? Did anything change?

 

FS: I think one thing I told myself was that track was done. I'm not a middle distance runner anymore, I'm a distance runner. So I had to tap back into that. Sure, I've run shorter distances before, and maybe I've been more successful, but this here is my last season. I'm a distance runner and I have to see what I can do with cross country. I just tried to approach it that way. 

 

SS: Yeah I suppose you just have to tell yourself that this is the season you've got left. Do you feel like because this was your last, it felt different?

 

FS: Yeah, so this year there's no getting through cross country to run 400s and half miles in the spring. When track ended last year it felt weird because I was done with that but still had cross left. I've just focused on leaving it all out there because I don't want the regrets. I know if I didn't,  I would think about it.

 

SS: Speaking of no regrets, let's chat about that National Championship. This is technically your third time at a cross country national championships, which is pretty wild. Have your race goals changed? How is this experience going to be different? 

 

FS: I'll definitely have to approach it differently. When I'm checking out the course, doing my pre-race routines, I'll be on my own. I won't have my teammates to joke around with and help me relax before the race. I'll have to do those things myself. 

 

In my independence though, I'll just have to think back on how everything I've done with my teammates has gotten me here, how they've helped me so much in getting to this point. 

 

As far as specific race goals go, I'm gonna try to look for people within our conference that I've been racing next to throughout the season, and to work to improve on my previous placing. I would also love to get a career ending PR. 

 

SS: Yeah, that's always the goal, right?

 

FS: Yes, of course and, I mean, this race won't be "How well can we work together as a team?" or "How tight of a spread can we have?" It's gonna be building off what I know and what I've got left up to this point. And I know Coach will be there telling me when to move.

 

SS: So—Have you ever been to Sacramento?

 

FS: I have been to Sacramento, actually. Can I lie and say that I haven't? Let's just say it definitely wasn't for a cross country race. 

 

SS: And the big finisher: What has this sport come to mean to you?

 

FS: Running has literally given me my lifelong friends. All of my teammates really, I have been able to become friends with. I've met really incredible people throughout my career, and I've had some amazing coaches and role models that I feel confident will stay in my life. 

 

What do I do after running is done? How will I exert my energy? It's given me an outlet, a fun escape. At the end of the day, whether it was good or bad, I got to go to practice, I got to do this sport that I love with the people that I love to do it with. 

 

It's no question that Seidel has left her mark on Bulldog Country, in both the miles that she's run and the people she has touched. Her legacy will be remembered long after she's finished- and she's not finished yet. 

The gun will go off for Franny at 1:15pm on Saturday, November 23rd. Follow the results at https://results.leonetiming.com/xc.html?mid=7521.