For most high school seniors, the college selection process is an expansive and drawn-out process. For Auburn senior Veronica Eder, the list of schools was not very long.
“I am in industrial design and there aren’t a lot of schools that have that,” Eder said. “If they do have it, they are mostly all arts schools, but I knew I wanted to do Division I athletics. So it was between Auburn and Virginia Tech.”
Eder was sold on Auburn, so the Pennsylvania native committed to a school nearly 15 hours from her home.
“It all kind of fit together here,” Eder described. “Coach [Mark] Carroll is awesome and I love the program here.”
Eder, unlike most athletes, competes in all three track and field sports: cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. The Doylestown, Pennsylvania native hit the ground running once she got to Auburn. She finished third in the Trojan Invite 3k her freshman cross country season. She also placed fourth at the Crimson Classic 5k. Her career on The Plains was off to a fast start and Eder never looked back.
In her sophomore cross country season, she won the South Alabama Opener meet and finished third at the Furman Classic. In the spring of her sophomore season, Eder won the War Eagle Invitational in the 5000m with a time of 17:04.22. She also placed second at the Tennessee Challenge and fourth at the SEC Outdoor Championships – a race she'll never forget.
“That was the first 10k I had ever done, and I lost one of my shoes halfway through the race,” Eder said, laughing.
Auburn cross country head coach Mark Carroll believes that race was one of the defining moments of Eder’s career.
“Veronica has a toughness, like the SEC Championships where she lost her shoe, most people would have checked out, but Veronica went from 9th or 10th place to 4th place,” said Carroll. “It is about that never give up attitude, and that really helps her in tough races.”
Eder posted four top 10 finishes in six events during her junior cross country season. She placed seventh at the NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships. Another one of Eder’s favorite memories on The Plains occurred in the spring of last year, when she ran a personal best 16:14.32 in the 5000m at the War Eagle Invitational.
“That felt really good because it was at home," Eder said. "Everyone was there to watch and celebrate."
Eder has now turned her attention to her final season in Auburn. The Tigers are off to a strong start this season, as the women have posted first and second place finishes in two of their three meets. Auburn has been led by Eder, who won the 5k in the season opener, finished second in the 6k at the Furman Classic and posted a fifth place finish in the 5k at the Commodore Classic.
“I dedicated a lot of time to running and making sure I put in the work and effort,” Eder said. “I just wanted to make sure I was prepared for the season. Coach [Carroll] always talks about coming in strong, but not too strong, because it is a long season, especially with distance running. I really think the best is yet to come.”
Both Carroll and Eder believe this year’s team is fully capable of finishing in the top half of the SEC.
“We have a small team, but we are very experienced,” the Auburn senior said. “We have a lot of seniors, a lot of girls who if they put their minds to it, we can run really well together.”
“We have been a little tired going in to the early season races, so we will rest up before this next one and then start slowing down as we get closer to the SEC Championships,” Carroll said. “But I think we have enough talent to be in the top half of the SEC on both sides.”
As for personal goals, Eder has one clear goal: qualifying for nationals this season. The top four runners in the regional meet qualify for the national championships. Last season, Eder finished fifth, which drives her to go even harder this season.
“That really did hurt,” Eder said. “I just try to go into every race and try to compete and win each race.”
Carroll believes Eder is capable of qualifying for nationals, which is also one of his goals for this season. Carroll knows how special of a runner Eder is and how important she is for the Tigers.
“Cross country is not a glamorous sport. It is coming out every day and putting the miles in, and believing in what you are doing,” Carroll said. “There is a moment of truth in every race, where it really hurts, and you have to answer if you really want it, and Veronica does. That is what sets her apart.”
“I would rate her performance as good as any we have ever had at Auburn,” Auburn’s head coach said. “Barring any setbacks, the school records are in jeopardy, and she is up there with the best we have ever had. I think she is in a good place right now to where she should be able to accomplish her goals that she has set for herself.”
Auburn’s men and women’s cross country teams will hit the road this weekend as they travel to Louisville, Kentucky, to compete in the Louisville Classic. The Tigers will have one more regular season meet following this weekend before heading to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the SEC Championships on Oct. 28.
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