Starting over
This is part of a summer series of Q & A features profiling Butler County area sports personalities. FREEPORT — Lacey Cochran has an undergraduate degree in elementary education and a master's degree in reading.But the Freeport and Slippery Rock University graduate is finding it hard to find steady work these days.“It's pretty bad right now,” she says, sighing.Cochran, 24, is working as a substitute teacher in the Highlands and Plum school districts. The days she spent running away with school records and PIAA Track and Field medals seem eons away.Cochran won the WPIAL title in the 400-meter run all four years of her high school career with the Yellowjackets and she took home eight state medals — including first place in the 400 during her junior year — and 12 WPIAL medals.At SRU, she broke five school records.She runs in a few road races here and there, but admits “I was never much of a distance runner. You can't be a sprinter in a road race.”Cochran, her voice raspy the day after attending the wedding of a close friend, talked about her past and her future recently.
How did you get involved with track and field?At Freeport, I think I started running track just for something to do. The team made it so much fun. coach (Bill) Dillen made it so much fun.I actually tried to quit track in high school.
Why did you try to quit?I played soccer. I always wanted to go to college and play soccer and when I was 15 years old, the track meets and practices would sometimes interfere with soccer and I was getting in trouble for it. I really started to have to make a decision.I told Mr. Dillen I didn't want to run anymore. We sat down and he told me I had a good thing going. He made comprimises for me.
How much of an influence did Dillen have on your career, on and off the track?I think he was just most of all supportive. He knew I was just a high school kid doing high school sports. He made sure we enjoyed ourselves.
When you think back now to your high school career, what is your gut feeling?I still look back and wish I would have done some things better. I may or may not have been (pauses) the best at working as hard as I should have.
I remember talking to you when you were a freshman at Freeport and you told me you listened to oldies music to get ready for a meet. Did you continue that tradition?(Laughing) I forgot about that. I definitely always listened to music before I ran, but I think my tastes changed. ... More rap, more music to get pumped up.
How pumped were you when you won the state title in the 400 as a junior after finishing third as a freshman and second as a sophomore?Oh, man, I guess looking back now ... it was an honor to even get to states.
You had a rough year after high school at Bowling Green University. What happened?I didn't have fun. Girls would run their race and then went home, or didn't even come to practice. It was a bad atmosphere. They had had a few different coaches, and the girls who were there, I think, were kind of just tired of it. There was no routine. I was surprised. ... I knew I had to get out of there.
How did you end up at SRU?Honestly, I looked at Robert Morris and Slippery Rock. I really don't know why I chose SRU. I'm glad I did.
You got a little bit of coaching experience at SRU. Did you catch the coaching bug there?I would absolutely love to coach. ... I coached the middle school soccer team at Kiski.
How did you begin dabbling in coaching at SRU?I was still in graduate school and I would always go over and watch (assistant track and field coach) Dave Labor coach the hurdlers. I always wanted to go with him. ... I learned so much about hurdling. I even got to run the hurdles once.
How did that go?It was my last year running and I was in a slump. It was the last home meet and I always joked about running the 400-meter hurdles and they let me run it.
Do you remember your time?It wasn't great ... but it wasn't too bad, either.
