What’s The Buzz is a new series of Q&A features of Georgia Tech student-athletes. Our first feature is in anticipation for the start of the cross country season this Friday. Liz Galarza promises to feature prominently with the team as the season gets going. In 2020, she scored points in each of Tech’s three meets and finished No. 13 at the ACC Championships. Liz talks about what she expects for the upcoming season.
What’s The Buzz: Can you describe your 2020 campaign from both a personal and team perspective?
Liz Galarza: The summer of 2020 was an essential part of my running journey. Not being able to compete that outdoor track season and spending a lot of time indoors, I really rediscovered my love for running. I realized how much I loved competing and my team. So, my mentality going into the 2020 XC season was that I felt so grateful to be on a D1 college team and have such a wonderful team. I felt so proud of how far our team had come from my freshmen year and wanted to do everything I could to keep that momentum going into 2020. Not many people have the opportunity to be athletes at this level and I did not want to take it for granted much less feel like there was more I could have done to be there for my team.
WTB: Looking forward to 2021, what goals do you have in mind for yourself and the team?
LG: I want the team to do well at ACC’s and regional as well as I want to place well individually. But more important than places, I want to help maintain the great culture that is present on the team. I feel like such a big aspect of why our team has improved over the years has to do with how much we care about each other. I remember at cross country ACC’s this past year, I spent majority of the race trying to catch MK Knott and knowing that my teammate was up ahead helped pushed me so much. So, when race day comes, I want each person to push themselves for the team.
WTB: You were a consistent top performer for Tech last year. What do you think leads to that consistency?
LG: The biggest thing that encourages me to do well race after race is my teammates. I love cross country because I know that when I toe the line, I am going to do everything I can to help the team do well. I have that mentality all season long, when deciding what is the best decision if I should stay up late watching tv or go to bed, I think of how my team would want me to get sleep so that I can run well. It’s their support and accountability that has helped me stay consistent.
WTB: How would you describe your experience at Georgia Tech as a student-athlete?
LG: I feel so grateful to be on this team, I am very proud that I have been able to attend such a great academic school that also creates a space for me to be an athlete. All the support that the Georgia Tech Athletic Association offers allows me to be an athlete when I need to be and a student when I’m on campus. We have a great support system that ranges from mental to physical health that makes being a student-athlete fun. Balancing both is tough a lot of the times, but I know how happy I am to be here, and a challenge is always good.
WTB: You had a trio of awards in 2021 receiving All-ACC honors, All-ACC Second Team Indoor for the Women’s 5k, and All-ACC Academic Indoor. What do those awards mean to you?
LG: I think these awards show that you can be a student-athlete at a school that people tell you is difficult. I think my freshmen year it seemed overwhelming how difficult school was. And then I would go to a race and get a personal best but be dead last in my heat. Both were discouraging and made my goals seem unattainable. So, to see how far I have made it academically and in my sport is something I am very proud of. As well as I hope that it inspires some of the incoming freshmen that their goals are attainable.
WTB: Do you have any superstitions or rituals you go through before your meets?
LG: I like to read a couple of hours before the race to relax and sometime during the warm-up I listen to one of my all-time favorite songs that reminds me God is with me. Some of my best races have been after I read a really intense book, so I’ll have to find another one for this season!
WTB: What made you want to pursue running competitively?
LG: Going into my senior year of high school I did not know if I wanted to run in college. I didn’t know if my times were good enough and my parents wanted me to focus on school and were worried about how running would affect that. My high school coach helped me to see the potential that I had and when Coach Drosky reached out believing in me as much as my high school coach did, I was intrigued in college running. After I came on my official visit to Georgia Tech, and I saw how GT addressed all the concerns that my parents had about the academics my mind was made up.
WTB: What are some hobbies you have?
LG: I like to try new coffee shops, my go to drink is a vanilla iced latte. I also like to read which I don’t do much of during the school year, but I want to! My favorite book is transcendent kingdom! But my favorite hobby of all is to watch TV, it probably makes me sound lazy but after a hard workout, coming home to TV sounds like the best thing in the world.
