Hayden Krick is a four-year letterman on the DC cross country squad and set the program's course record on September 15, 2012.
 
Now is your chance to get to know Hayden Krick away from the course, as we go beyond the box score with the senior harrier.

20 Questions With Hayden Krick

1-When did you start running cross country? I started running my freshman year in high school because I did not want to play football anymore.
 
2-What has been the highlight of your athletic career so far? Winning the Penn State-Behrend Invitational, where I broke the Defiance College record and the course record. 
 
3-What are your goals for the 2012 season? I would love to keep improving as a runner and a leader, but overall I would love nothing more than to give Coach Hartpence his first Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship here at Defiance. Being one of the top runners in the region, or going to NCAA Nationals is not a bad goal either.
 
4-Who is your funniest teammate? Oh boy, this is a hard one. Everyone is funny and has their days but I would have to give that title to Adam Grillot. He seems to be the most consistent odd ball.
 
5-Do you have any nicknames? In high school I went by Kricket.
 
6-What three words best describe you? Cooperative, happy, persevering. 
 
7-What is your favorite restaurant? Any place with a buffet so I can just pound calories and get my money's worth. In Defiance, it is the Asian Grill Buffet.
 
8-Who is your biggest hero? My mother, who helps me with everything and my father, who passed my senior year of high school are definitely my biggest heroes and the inspiration for all I do.
 
9-Dream vacation spot? I would like to someday set aside some money and travel to Australia. Kick it with the marsupials and check out the Barrier Reef.
 
10-What is the top song currently on your iPod? Honestly? "Friends in Low Places," by Garth Brooks. It is a classic that never gets old.
 
11-Who was your childhood sports hero? I went through these phases where I wanted to be a pro hockey player, then football, then basketball. So I idolized every pro athlete.
 
12-Do you have any superstitions or pre-race routines? I like to stir up some Gatorade and watch the Steve Prefontaine movie "Without Limits" the night before and then take a hot shower and stretch out in the morning.
 
13-If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be? Galen Rupp. I want to experience the feeling of being an Olympian.
 
14-What is your favorite TV show? "The Office."
 
15-What is something most people do not know about you? Most people do not know that I am the best gift giver. I was born on my mother's birthday, June 30.
 
16-What is your biggest fear? Breaking my ankle on a cross country course.
 
17-Besides your own, what is your favorite sport to watch at Defiance? My second love is basketball.
 
18-What is your favorite class or professor at DC and why? My favorite class in anatomy and physiology because the body is fascinating when you learn how everything works. It is also easy to apply that knowledge to your sport. 
 
19-What are your plans after graduating from DC? The plan is to get accepted into physical therapy school.
 
20-How has playing collegiate athletics at DC helped you in life? Collegiate athletics has played a huge factor in helping me handle stressful times with school and home life. Like running, life is full of ups and downs and you can not give in and hang up the spikes. You have to keep working hard and you will see the benefits down the road.