For the first In the Locker Room of the year, Moose Terry sat down with senior cross country runner Marie Barnett. Barnett is from Boston and is back on campus this semester after studying abroad in the spring. She played a key role in helping the team win its first conference championship in 22 years and looks forward to one more run around the college track.

Moose Terry: You are just getting back from being abroad and studying in another country. Where did you go?
Marie Barnett: I spent the semester at art school in Florence, Italy. But in the summer I backpacked through Europe and spent a month in Finland.

MT: That sounds like a sweet time. What were some of the experiences like?
MB: I lived with a host family in Italy, and that was quite the different life style.  The traveling was really eye-opening and I met a lot of really cool characters on my overnight train rides. The places I went were really fantastic and it was such a wonderful time.  While I was in Finland, I got to play with Finnish kids who did not speak a word of English. 

MT: What was your funniest experience?
MB: The funniest thing had to be when I was hiking the Alps with my 70-something [year-old] grandmother. Man, she books it through those mountains.

MT: What is it like to be back?
MB: It was a weird transition to come back to the USA and then Oberlin after seven months of being gone. But nothing makes me at home more than running across the flats of Ohio. 

MT: What excites you about this year’s team?
MB:  Well, besides the athletic department’s ice cream socials, I really dig this year’s freshwomen. We have a mighty wicked squad.  Plus, there’s nothing like running around in all that spandex.

MT: What exactly does it take to be “mighty wicked?”
MB: Our solid pack of veterans as well as really witty freshwomen.  Learning and labor is a motto we take to the line. 

MT: How do you feel as defending champion of the conference?
MB: I look to improve on last year and kick some NCAC tush with my team in tow.

MT: How do you feel about it being your last year?
MB: I am confident this year we are unbreakable and unbeatable.

MT: What is your favorite part about being a student-athlete at Oberlin?
MB: Access to the cold whirlpool in the training room.

MT: What has been your favorite activity during your stay on campus?
MB:  I enjoy the opportunity to pursue bizarre academic interests in a witty, conversational, cocktail manner.

MT:  Well, to wrap up this great conversation, I must ask you this week’s antler-sharp Question of the Week. Which do you prefer: Subway or Quiznos?
MB:  Subway, but I like my bread toasted.