Newberry senior Maggie Rice is a three-time state qualifier on the track and has finished 35th, 24th, and 13th at the 2A Cross Country finals the past three seasons. Recently, Rice selected the University of Southern Mississippi to continue her running career. We caught up with her to talk about the decision to join the Golden Eagles. (Photo by Cedric Gillette)
Flrunners.com: How did you get into the sport?
Maggie Rice: I got into the sport because my mom ran in high school coupled with her being the track coach at Newberry High School since I was in 5th grade and the cross country coach since 8th grade. I'm not very coordinated, so as my mom was already coaching these two sports and they required little to no coordination, I decided to give them a try. She never put any pressure on me to do so, however. Running was completely my decision, but she was with me every step of the way
FLR: What was the recruiting process like for you?
MR: The recruiting process was pretty stressful for me. I was so afraid that I wouldn't find a school that wanted me to run for them and that I wanted to go to
FLR: When did you really see it take off and the interest start to become more?
MR: I would say recruiting really took off when I won the Mt. Dew Invitational. I had been in contact with a few coaches during the summer, but when I won that race, I think they started getting more serious about me. Recruiting started going more in my favor when I ran the 18:44 at Pre-State because I think that was around the time that all of my prospective coaches wanted to see
FLR: Where all did you visit/consider and what ultimately sold you on Southern Miss?
MR: I visited Samford, Mercer,and UNF along with Southern Miss. I also visited Wofford and Troy unofficially. I seriously considered UNF, but ultimately, I felt more at home at USM. I can't begin to describe how much I loved the team, they were definitely my kind of people. Coach Kindt really made me feel welcome. I know for a fact that I will have no problem trusting him with my athletic career.
FLR: Your mom was your coach for the first three years of your high school career. What was that like and how did that strengthen your relationship outside of running?
MR: My mom helped me by simply supporting me throughout this process. She did all she could for me as far as writing workouts and coaching me goes, and when I got to the point where she felt like I needed help that she couldn't give, she would do what she could to get me that help. Whether that help came from a running website, a coach from another school, or a complete stranger that used to run for UF (JL). I truly would not be where I am if she hadn't been with me every step of the way, for she is the reason I have gotten the training I needed to be the best I could be Training with my mom has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life. Throughout this coach to athlete experience, we have become not only close as mother and daughter, but close as coach and athlete, and I can honestly say that she is one of my very best friends. She is an amazing coach, and I am so thankful that she has been with me through this process, it would not have been the same without her.
MR: My mom helped me by simply supporting me throughout this process. She did all she could for me as far as writing workouts and coaching me goes, and when I got to the point where she felt like I needed help that she couldn't give, she would do what she could to get me that help. Whether that help came from a running website, a coach from another school, or a complete stranger that used to run for UF (JL). I truly would not be where I am if she hadn't been with me every step of the way, for she is the reason I have gotten the training I needed to be the best I could be Training with my mom has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life. Throughout this coach to athlete experience, we have become not only close as mother and daughter, but close as coach and athlete, and I can honestly say that she is one of my very best friends. She is an amazing coach, and I am so thankful that she has been with me through this process, it would not have been the same without her.
FLR: Former University of Florida standout JL Hines came over as an assistant coach at Newberry this year and played a large role in your development as well. Talk about his impact.
Coach Hines has helped me by giving me the best workout regiment I have ever had in my entire career as a runner. This past summer, he made me a running agenda that brought me from a high of 40 miles per week to a high of 60 miles per week, which I never thought possible. He has also helped me hone in on a racing strategy that works well for me. He is hard on me when I need it, he knows when I need rest, yet he never goes easy. We really work well together I considered my mom an "actual coach". She did a fantastic job. It was refreshing when JL came out, simply because my mom and I had an assurance about the training that I was receiving that we had never had before because he was such an experienced and skilled athlete. My mom was just as thankful for him as I was because she felt like I had reached a skill level where I needed a higher level of expertise than what she was able to offer.
FLR: Was that kind of neat having someone who has competed at that next level helping you out and how did he help when it came to recruiting.?
MR: It was very neat having someone who has competed at the next level help me out. When I first met JL, he felt like a celebrity. I was raised a Gator, so training with someone who ran for the Gators was so fantastic. It still is, of course. I really admire JL, and his opinion means so much to me. I'm incredibly thankful that he jumped into my training this past track season. He did help out with the recruiting process. Anytime I was unsure about what to do about a school, he was there to walk me through it. I had a hard time letting other coaches know that I wasn't interested in their schools anymore, and he was really there for me through that process.
FLR: One obstacle you had to overcome was the lack of training partners since your school didn't have a girls team. How hard was that for you?
MR: Not having a girls' team to train with has most likely had a detriment on my training, but having never actually had that, I have no idea what how badly my training has been hurt by this. Having a good girls' team was definitely one of my requirements for my future school because I wanted something to strive for. I've always had girls faster than me from other schools, but I never had the opportunity to train with them. I feel like being a part of a strong female team will give me sense of family and really strengthen my training.
FLR: Why the decision to sign early?
I decided to commit early because the head track coach at Southern Miss told me I should. At first, I was wary of signing early, but it turned out that I was totally ready to sign a few weeks before the early signing day, so I went ahead and did it. I'm very happy I did.
FLR: Coach Hines mentioned you are a straight A student and candidate for valedictorian at your school. How important is it to you really epitomize the role of the student-athlete?
MR: It is very important to be a student athlete. I wouldn't be where I am now without my good grades. No college coach wants an athlete who is going to bring their team GPA down. I knew that if I didn't have the grades, the tuition wasn't going to be paid for. I definitely had to be fast, but it occurred to me quickly that my success in school was equally important to achieving my goals. At Southern Miss, I plan to major in Broadcast Journalism.
FLR: What are your goals at the next level?
MR:I honestly just want to score points at conference for track at the next level, because I know that's what my team needs from me. For cross country, I want to break 18.
