Hokie ClubEditor’s note: Every Wednesday throughout the fall, we’ll catch up with track and field student-athletes and coaches for five questions.
Q: What were some of the key components on why you chose to transfer to Virginia Tech?
HERRA: “My initial interest was when my coach from Iowa [Andrew Dubs] said that he was coming here. Then, I was just looking into options because I was going to stay at Iowa and work on prerequisites for grad school. And then I looked here and they have the exact grad program I wanted, which is really rare because there’s not that many grad programs that combine exercise and nutrition. So, it was just a really great opportunity for me to look into it and apply to that program, because I could get started this year versus next year, which is huge. That’s how I came upon Virginia Tech. It just worked out that the grad program is strong and the track program is really strong, too.”
Q: How has Virginia Tech and former Iowa throws coach Andrew Dubs guided you in throws?
HERRA: “He’s a great coach. He is very supportive on and off the track. I’ll show up to practice and the first thing he will ask is ‘How are you feeling today?’ and he just doesn’t want to know track wise, like are you sore or ready for practice, but it’s also like how classes are going and things outside of academics and track. He’s a great person and a great coach. Obviously I wanted to stay with him for my last year of competition, so I’m excited about how we are going to do this year.”
Q: What type of goals and expectations do you have for yourself this spring?
HERRA: “I want to score in conference and looking at the ACC the past five years and my PR goal, I want to land in the top-five. Discus wise, I would love to place at ACCs, get to Regionals and hopefully the NCAAs. That’s a really huge goal, but I think I’m ready to do it.”
Q: You were All-Academic in the Big Ten numerous times. Can you touch on the academic piece while competing?
HERRA: “My mindset with academics is that it is all about time management because I’m not the smartest cookie in the cookie jar. So it’s like track, you have to practice and put in the time. If I didn’t study that much, I would be a below average student. So, I study a lot and have always put that as a priority, in addition to track. I also like to learn, so I think that helps and I like what I’m studying which helps with integrating it into my everyday life.”
Q: What was it like winning the Golden Herkys Hawkeye of the Year this past spring?
HERRA: “That’s a huge award and it meant a lot to me. The Golden Herkys is a really new event and I was on the staff that organized the event. That was the second annual Golden Herkys, but the first time I believe the award was up for grabs. The award encompasses athletics and service and it’s not just voted on by student-athletes, but voted on by senior staff as well. It was a huge honor and I was not expecting it at all, like the candidates were outstanding, all of the girls that were up there. So, I was like ‘Wow,’ with all of these other girls’ rap sheets that were glowing. It was a really big moment and a really cool way to end my year at Iowa. At the time, I didn’t know it was ending but looking back, I guess it couldn’t have ended in a better way.”