Laura Nicholson is a senior distance runner on the women's track and field team. She owns the school record in the mile run.
Rocket Spotlight on Laura Nicholson
2/27/2025 3:44:00 PM | Women's Track and Field
On representing her native Ireland, how Toledo compares to Philly, and how getting rid of jealousy has made her a better runner
Laura Nicholson is a senior on the women's cross country and track & field teams and owns the school record in the mile run with a time of 4:30.85. A native of Cork, Ireland, Nicholson competed for Temple University before transferring to Toledo in 2023. She is currently working on her master's degree in counseling.
On representing Ireland at the European Cross Country Championships
It was definitely a really good experience to represent your country. There is a lot of Irish support that travels for the races. Seeing that it means something to other people, seeing people get excited about us running well, is nice to see. Coming from a smaller country, it's pretty cool to see Irish athletics doing really well at the moment and being a part of that is a really good experience.
On being an international student-athlete in the United States
I had not thought about it much before I moved to the U.S., so it was an easy enough transition when I got here. I came here because there is so many more people to train with. You have your teammates, your coach, the track. You have everything at your doorstep, which was really cool. I do get a bit homesick.
On experiencing two different U.S. cities
I almost found it harder to move from Philly to Toledo compared to home to Philly. It was so new and exciting when I first moved to the U.S. Toledo is a more lowkey city than Philadelphia which has helped me since I can't really get distracted. I'm more focused on my running and my studies. My friends and I go to practice, go to class, drink tea, chat, puzzles. I like it, it's working.
On her favorite part about Toledo
This is a much bigger team than I had at Temple, where we had a very small roster. When I first came here, there were 30 girls on the roster. The energy at practice, you can show up to a workout and immediately be in a good mood and ready to work hard. Everyone is there. The people are my favorite part.
On being part of a MAC Championship program in cross country
I came into the team when they already won the MAC twice. I was a part of the three-peat and was be able to come back and win it again this year. The more you know the team, the more it means to win a conference championship. Last year I was still trying to find my feet and figuring out what the MAC was. This year I had more of a grasp on it and it's definitely fun to be the best team in the conference. I've really enjoyed that.
On participating in the NCAA Championships for the first time
It was fun! When I was transferring, I really wanted to go to NCAA Cross since I had never been before. I saw that Toledo had made it the year before I came here, so I thought I would have a good opportunity to go to NCAAs. My first year here things did not really go as planned. There were a lot of injuries so we didn't make it. Getting to do that my senior year was really fun. When I got to the NCAAs, it was not exactly what we wanted but getting to the meet was really cool. That was my first major championship in the NCAA that I've ever competed at.
I can't remember exactly how many people were there but it was some crazy number of spectators, which was really cool. Our sport isn't that popular but seeing that many people show up to watch NCAAs is really cool. It's similar to what I mentioned about European Cross Country Championships. It's really neat to see that cross country means something to supporters as well as those participating in the event.
On the individual and team aspects of track and field
Being an NCAAÂ student-athlete has made me see the sport with more of a team aspect. All you can do for your teammates is offer support because those are your friends. You aren't interacting with your teammates while competing. You can run for each other but you're still running by yourself. Something that has really helped me is not being jealous. It sounds silly. It's so easy to compare your results to other people from your country or your teammates. It's a natural thing to do. Getting completely rid of that jealously and being happy and finding motivation has helped me run faster. It's draining to be jealous. That comes with maturity and getting older.Â
On pre-race superstitions
I don't really have any pre-race superstitions, honestly. I used to do the same routine leading into a race, like taking a cold shower. I've moved away from that. I do whatever I feel like I need on that day. I had sports-induced asthma so I used to always take my inhaler just before I raced. This past weekend I forgot my inhaler so I didn't take it. I guess I'm going to stop taking it because I still ran fast without it. I try to not have that many superstitions because when they mess up, you feel like the race is ruined.
On participating in sports besides running
I did a bit of everything. I did gymnastics, Irish camogie (a version of lacrosse), field hockey. I also did surf life-saving, which is a lifeguarding sport. You are on the beach and running and swimming. When I was first in athletics, I was a multi-eventer. That's how I slowly gravitated towards running. I was the best at high jump and longer distance events.
On her interests outside of running
I do like drawing and painting but not that much at the moment. I like to read. I love to talk. My friends come over and we chat and have tea. I talk on the phone for way too many hours. I need a call log counter because I'm on the phone for four hours a day. My friends and I like going to the sauna at the moment. I don't have structured hobbies because of practice and classes now. I am generally into wellness. In this sport you get rewarded for resting as much as you do for training.Â
On representing Ireland at the European Cross Country Championships
It was definitely a really good experience to represent your country. There is a lot of Irish support that travels for the races. Seeing that it means something to other people, seeing people get excited about us running well, is nice to see. Coming from a smaller country, it's pretty cool to see Irish athletics doing really well at the moment and being a part of that is a really good experience.
On being an international student-athlete in the United States
I had not thought about it much before I moved to the U.S., so it was an easy enough transition when I got here. I came here because there is so many more people to train with. You have your teammates, your coach, the track. You have everything at your doorstep, which was really cool. I do get a bit homesick.
On experiencing two different U.S. cities
I almost found it harder to move from Philly to Toledo compared to home to Philly. It was so new and exciting when I first moved to the U.S. Toledo is a more lowkey city than Philadelphia which has helped me since I can't really get distracted. I'm more focused on my running and my studies. My friends and I go to practice, go to class, drink tea, chat, puzzles. I like it, it's working.
On her favorite part about Toledo
This is a much bigger team than I had at Temple, where we had a very small roster. When I first came here, there were 30 girls on the roster. The energy at practice, you can show up to a workout and immediately be in a good mood and ready to work hard. Everyone is there. The people are my favorite part.
On being part of a MAC Championship program in cross country
I came into the team when they already won the MAC twice. I was a part of the three-peat and was be able to come back and win it again this year. The more you know the team, the more it means to win a conference championship. Last year I was still trying to find my feet and figuring out what the MAC was. This year I had more of a grasp on it and it's definitely fun to be the best team in the conference. I've really enjoyed that.
On participating in the NCAA Championships for the first time
It was fun! When I was transferring, I really wanted to go to NCAA Cross since I had never been before. I saw that Toledo had made it the year before I came here, so I thought I would have a good opportunity to go to NCAAs. My first year here things did not really go as planned. There were a lot of injuries so we didn't make it. Getting to do that my senior year was really fun. When I got to the NCAAs, it was not exactly what we wanted but getting to the meet was really cool. That was my first major championship in the NCAA that I've ever competed at.
I can't remember exactly how many people were there but it was some crazy number of spectators, which was really cool. Our sport isn't that popular but seeing that many people show up to watch NCAAs is really cool. It's similar to what I mentioned about European Cross Country Championships. It's really neat to see that cross country means something to supporters as well as those participating in the event.
On the individual and team aspects of track and field
Being an NCAAÂ student-athlete has made me see the sport with more of a team aspect. All you can do for your teammates is offer support because those are your friends. You aren't interacting with your teammates while competing. You can run for each other but you're still running by yourself. Something that has really helped me is not being jealous. It sounds silly. It's so easy to compare your results to other people from your country or your teammates. It's a natural thing to do. Getting completely rid of that jealously and being happy and finding motivation has helped me run faster. It's draining to be jealous. That comes with maturity and getting older.Â
On pre-race superstitions
I don't really have any pre-race superstitions, honestly. I used to do the same routine leading into a race, like taking a cold shower. I've moved away from that. I do whatever I feel like I need on that day. I had sports-induced asthma so I used to always take my inhaler just before I raced. This past weekend I forgot my inhaler so I didn't take it. I guess I'm going to stop taking it because I still ran fast without it. I try to not have that many superstitions because when they mess up, you feel like the race is ruined.
On participating in sports besides running
I did a bit of everything. I did gymnastics, Irish camogie (a version of lacrosse), field hockey. I also did surf life-saving, which is a lifeguarding sport. You are on the beach and running and swimming. When I was first in athletics, I was a multi-eventer. That's how I slowly gravitated towards running. I was the best at high jump and longer distance events.
On her interests outside of running
I do like drawing and painting but not that much at the moment. I like to read. I love to talk. My friends come over and we chat and have tea. I talk on the phone for way too many hours. I need a call log counter because I'm on the phone for four hours a day. My friends and I like going to the sauna at the moment. I don't have structured hobbies because of practice and classes now. I am generally into wellness. In this sport you get rewarded for resting as much as you do for training.Â
Players Mentioned
Distance
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