Hurdling side by side: Quandt and Hackensmith give Packers a boost
Published 8:05 pm Sunday, May 10, 2015
Austin’s Rachel Quandt, left, and Kendall Hackensmith have led the Packers in hurdles over the past few years and they’ve learned plenty of lessons from each other. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Whenever Austin hurdlers Rachel Quandt and Kendall Hackensmith are competing in a meet together, they will always take a little time a together to say a prayer and wish each other good luck before every race.
Then they go out and try to run as fast as they can.
Hackensmith, a senior, and Quandt, a junior, have led the Packer girls track and field team in hurdles for the past few seasons and this year is no different. Quandt recently ran the 100-meter hurdles in 16.1 seconds and she’s run the 300-meter hurdles in 51.2 seconds this season. Hackensmith has run the 300-meter hurdles in 48.32 seconds and the 100-meter hurdles in 16.98 seconds this season.
The two met a few years ago when Quandt was brought up to the varsity team and they’ve been supporters of each other ever since.
Although Hackensmith is older, she’s had no problem trading advice with Quandt.
“We focused on figuring out how to be more like each other. She has some faster times so I try to strive to be up there with her and reach that level too,” Hackensmith said. “Every day we try to push each other and we feed off each other. We try and build each other into better athletes.”
Quandt said she immediately found Hackensmith as a runner she could learn from when she got to the varsity team. Quandt studied Hackensmith’s running style and she tried to duplicate it.
“It was encouraging having someone to look up to,” Quandt said. “Her form was like this so mine had to be like that and she’s running like this, so I’m going to run like that because she’s getting good times. That’s what I was striving for.”
Quandt is hoping to get her time below 16 seconds in the 100-hurdles before the season ends and Hackensmith is hoping to run the 300 in the low 47s or high 46s.
The Packers are headed down the stretch of the season with a home meet 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and the Big Nine meet May 22 at Mankato East.
Quandt and Hackensmith are hoping to make some big strides in the next few weeks.
“We’re working real well this year. We just need to pick up the pace a little bit,” said Hackensmith. “I’m trying to do more and always do the best of my ability.”
