INSIDE
WOMEN'S TRACK
BY AJ HARRISON
With elite training invite,
Flax's career far from over
UW All-American joins USATF training program
esica Flax was one of the
best multi event athletes
in UW history, earning
three first-team All-America
honors and setting the school
record in the heptathlon with
a score of 5,826 points.
When Flax graduated from
UW in May, she didn't quite
know what was next.
"I wasn't sure what I was
going to do after I graduated,"
J
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Flax said. "I was thinking and
praying about my future."
At first, she thought she
might hang up her spikes, but
an invitation to the USA Track
& Field Residence Program
for the 2013-14 program year
changed her mind.
"It is an honor to be selected," Flax said. "I am excited for
the opportunity to work the
nation's best athletes."
@BADGER_TRACK
She will continue to train in the multievents at the USOC's Olympic Training
Center in Chula Vista, Calif. She will be
coached by USATF coaches and will get
to use the track & field and strength facilities at the center.
A 2008 Track & Field News All-American coming out of high school, Flax excelled at Wisconsin, winning three Big
Ten titles. She is thankful for the time she
spent at UW, where she her education
wasn't limited just to the classroom. She
credits assistant track coach Nate Davis, who coached her in the multis, with
helping her grow as a person.
"When you go to college, you learn
about your self," Flax said. "Coach Nate
taught me a lot both on the track and
off. I didn't know a lot about technique
before I got to Wisconsin, and he taught
me a lot of technique. He was a very patient coach who wanted to make sure I
achieved my potential.
"He is like my track father in Wisconsin. He helped me a lot."
One thing that Flax is excited for is
the chance to focus on track, rather than
having to balance the other demands of
being a college student-athlete.
"I will get more time to work on track,"
Flax said. "It will be a great environment
with a lot of elite athletes that will help
me push past my limits."
Flax, who leaves next week for the
program, hopes that she will improve in
each event and become a better athlete.
"My short term goal is to do the best I
can," Flax said. "If I keep improving, I will
keep going."
However, there is another goal is on
the horizon for Flax.
"If I get to go to the 2015 world championships in Beijing, that would be awesome," Flax said. "I want to make the
state of Wisconsin proud of me."
