Sophomore Rose Coats is far more than just a spectacular runner.
By Austin Desisto
You may have seen Rose Coats on social media, or even running around campus. As a newly-crowned Maryland women’s cross country record holder, she has spent her sophomore year making waves across the country, competing against some of the best collegiate runners in the nation.
Earlier in the season, she earned Big Ten Runner of the Week honors. At the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, Coats placed eighth overall, securing an automatic bid to nationals in Wisconsin. Her new school record is a prominent 19:53 for the six kilometer distance.
But the accolades don’t paint the full picture of what Coats does in practice and off the track.
Since winter of her freshman year, Coats, a chemical engineering major, has been working in undergraduate research in a lab on campus. Her lab focuses on engineering therapeutic drugs for women’s reproductive diseases.
“It’s a very new field and I feel like there’s a lot of opportunity in it and it’s something that’s growing and becoming more popular,” she said. “Women’s reproductive diseases is a field that’s commonly overlooked a lot in medical science and history.”
The lab, while consuming a lot of time, is something she is passionate about and enjoys. But her time studying and in class does not take away from running and lab work, which she sees as her two biggest elements.
Her busy schedule sometimes requires waking up before the sun and battle the chilly morning air in a long workout or spending long afternoons in the hot October sun. Practice can sometimes seem like a small slice of the day.
“You definitely have to make priorities and manage your time well,” Coats said.
Part of her love for running and chemical engineering is the people.
“If something gets posted on Instagram, whenever I go back to the lab everyone is like, ‘Oh my god, Rose. I saw your race,” Coats said. “[My teammates and labmates] definitely give me joy to wake up every day and keep grinding.”
Whether it be on the trails in State College, Pennsylvania, or the lab in Maryland’s bioengineering building, Coats strives for success, change and having fun.
“We’ll go out there and have fun for sure. I’m gonna try as hard as I can to place as high as I can,” Coats said ahead of regionals.
So many collegiate athletes have incredible passions behind the scenes, and Coats is just one of many at Maryland.