DES MOINES, Iowa — Drake senior Brooke Mullins will be representing the Bulldogs at the NCAA cross country national championships.
After finishing seventh in the women's 6K at regionals, Mullins became the first Drake women's cross country runner to qualify for nationals since 2005.
"Nothing is more motivating than accomplishing stuff like this," Mullins said. "I think each year I've learned from my mistakes so just to learn from them and then take everything away and put it together into a good season is really amazing."
Mullins said she had some seasons that didn't quite go her way early in her career, but what she learned from those experiences has helped prepare her for her biggest race yet.
"I've definitely grown to be more confident and just experienced," Mullins said. "No race is like each other. They all differ in their own ways. So just learning things along the way in each and every race is really good and putting that together has made me a much more confident racer when I go out there."
Mullins captured the Missouri Valley Conference title in the 6K back in October with a personal best time of 20:13.7.
The NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Championship will take place on Nov. 18 in Charlottesville, Virginia.