Senior sprinter Alexandria Edison has been running since she was just seven years old on account of her mother being a track coach.
Now, the fourth year is looking to climb the mountain with her 4×100 team and sit alone and accomplished atop the Iowa record books.
Edison and her quartet, consisting of Holly Duax, Lia Love, and Alivia Williams, broke into the record books last season, boasting a time of 43.86, which ranks second all-time for Iowa women’s track and field.
“It was phenomenal,” Edison said. “I hope we can do it again. We want to break the school record this year.”
However, Edison is no stranger to success, earning herself three All-American honors and even running on a state champion winning 1,600-meter relay during her time at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Illinois. The sprinter also set school records in the 100-meter and the indoor 200-meter.
“Going into college, I realized everybody’s a state champion. Everybody is an All-American, or if not, they’re a three-time, four-time state champion,” Edison said. “I have to hold myself to an even higher standard being in college, and I accept that challenge, and I enjoy it.”
Having a lot of success helped with her pre-race mindset, yet Edison still gets anxious before competing. Now a veteran on the track, she’s become desensitized to the nerves.
Anxiety isn’t the only thing going through Edison’s mind, though. The senior has always had the mindset that she can only do what she can control and nothing outside of that.
“I try to just think I’m going to put in 100 percent of my effort and do the best that I can, and that’s all I can control,” Edison said.
Yet, Edison’s life doesn’t just revolve around track, regardless of the success she’s had in her career as a sprinter. The senior eyes big goals and high standards set for herself in life. She hopes to one day go to law school and become a lawyer. She also aims to assume a position in the government, hoping to become a senator or representative someday.
Community involvement is Edison’s outlet to accomplish these goals. This year, she assumed the Vice President position of the Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (ISAAC). She helps to facilitate meetings and events for the group, as well as operating as a connection between ISAAC and the general student population and student government.
Edison is also the chair of the multicultural focus group, where she aims to foster a beneficial community for student athletes in Iowa City.
“We have people from all different continents, different countries, different states, with different backgrounds, and I just try my best to post events that make them feel included and enjoy the environment of the University of Iowa,” Edison said.
The success in track, school, and life that Edison has accomplished is all due to the motivation she’s been given by her parents, Anthony Edison Sr., and Artkeyta Moore-Edison. The pair are first-generation college students, and Edison is grateful for the path they laid before her.
“I just want to make them proud and do better than they have in their life and in their careers,” Edison said.