MONROE — When Thomas Schultz was a sophomore at Darlington High School in 2012, he finally broke into the cross country team’s varsity rotation.

The Redbirds were at the peak of their dominance in boys cross country at the time and won the state meet as a team in blistering pace. Schultz’s teammate, Tyson Miehe, was the individual champion, while Schultz himself was the fourth Redbird across the finish line (24th overall). 

In 2013 as a junior, Schultz cut off seven seconds in the state meet as Darlington again took home the title. In his senior year, Schultz was the second Redbird to cross the finish line, taking ninth overall and cutting over 20 seconds off his time. Once again, Darlington was the state champion.

After high school, Schultz went on to UW-La Crosse where he ran cross country and track and field.

This past fall as a senior, Schultz was one of the most decorated runners in the country in Division III. Schultz was the conference champion and was named to his third All-WIAC first team. Further, he was named to the Midwest All-Region honors for the third straight year, as well as a National All-Academic for the third straight year.

To top it all off, Schultz was named to his second straight All-American team, and was an Elite 90 Award winner.

Other accomplishments in college include All-American status in Indoor Track and Field in the spring of his junior year, as well as conference champion in the 5,000-meter run. He was a conference medalist three times from 2016-18 in both indoor and outdoor track, and was an All-American in the 10,000-meter run in 2016 during the outdoor track meet.

Q: Explain the process of selecting La Crosse as your college of choice? Was it based on a major, recruitment, the chance to run or something else?

A: I chose La Crosse initially because of its academic programs, the ability to continue my running career, as well as the environment of the campus. It felt like home as well as a place I could grow over four years.

Q: How much of a change was it going from running a 5k in high school to an 8k in college?

A: The collegiate 8k is a lot different than the 5k in high school. Luckily by the time we race the first 8k in college we’ve already had an entire summer of training with higher mileage. This makes the transition a little easier, and after the first 8k it’s a lot less intimidating. 

Q: How much different was training and conditioning in college than compared to Darlington? Do you feel coach Miehe’s program better prepared you than maybe other schools would have?

A: Coach Miehe’s training and my training now are similar and dissimilar in many aspects. The main difference is mostly the mileage and intensity of the training. College running involves a lot more miles and faster workouts than high school training. Coach Miehe, however, emphasized smart decision making, recovery, and a team/family atmosphere which are still aspects that I think are highly important.

Q: Was there any point during college where you thought, ‘Maybe running in college isn’t for me anymore?’

A: I can honestly say there has never been a point when I thought about giving up running in college. There are days when it’s tough to juggle running, academics and work or days when workouts are especially tough, but I have always found it worthwhile. Running has remained a great stress reliever as well as an area that has challenged me every day.

Q: What was your favorite course to run during college?

A: My favorite course to run is probably the Oshkosh course. It’s a notoriously flat and fast course where I’ve had several good races. It is also nice because with Oshkosh being so close it is a short drive for teammates, friends and family to come watch.  

Q: Many athletes find that their teammates can become some of their best friends, is this the case for you?

A: My teammates are, and have always been, some of my best friends. Teammates can even become more like family than just friends. They encourage you to do your best, celebrate your accomplishments, support you when things are tough and are always there for you. I still look forward to running with some of my high school teammates every time I go home for visits and I really enjoy getting together with my teammates that have already graduated from La Crosse. 

Q: How satisfying is it to close out your college running career as an All-American?

A: Coming in as a freshman I had hoped to be an All-American by the time I graduated. It is something that not a lot of people get to do, and it was surreal to earn my first All-American as a freshman later that year. It is very satisfying to have achieved that goal several times and to be able to help my team compete at the national level.  

Q: On top of being an All-American as a senior, you were also an NCAA Elite 90 recipient, which pulls in your work in the classroom. How proud of that achievement were you?

A: I remember learning about the Elite 90 award my freshman year and telling my coach it was something I hoped to earn. Working towards this award both on the course and in the classroom, I was so honored to earn this award three years later. Being recognized for athletic and academic accomplishments against such great competition was truly amazing.

 Q: Was sustaining a high GPA something that came naturally to you, or how much focus did you put on it?

A: Maintaining good academics in college is definitely something that takes a great deal of focus and hard work. My teammates and I have spent plenty of late nights and weekends in the library working on projects and studying for tests. One of the important lessons in college is learning how to best use your time when studying, and this lesson has really helped me accomplish my goal of maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Q: Where do you move on from here? Do you have a job lined up after college, or are you planning on staying in school to aim for a higher degree?

A: I am currently in the middle of the 2019 interview cycle for medical school. I have interviewed at several schools, and I hope to attend one in the fall of 2019. I am unsure what specialty I would like to pursue, but ultimately, I would like to be a community-focused physician helping people both in and out of the hospital setting.

Q: What advice would you give to young athletes out there who might want to follow in your footsteps?

A: There are plenty of schools out there that are interested in aspiring student-athletes regardless of skill level. First and foremost a decision on a school should be based on academic interests and environment. If athletics is something you hope to pursue in college, reaching out to coaching staff and other student athletes is a great place to start. Balancing school, athletics, work and friends is challenging and requires a lot of sacrifices, but the rewards make it all worthwhile.