After five years at Maryland, Lucki moved back home to be closer to family, get her Master’s degree, and (mostly) keep running.
“I kind of realized as I was finishing up my fifth year that I really wanted to continue with track and field,” said Lucki. “I knew I would need to mostly work with my [high school] coach or find a new coach in Canada, since post-collegiate track and cross country opportunities around D.C. were limited.”
While continuing to compete, Lucki received her Master’s in Environment and Sustainability from Western University in London, Ontario. “I’m still working for the company I did my co-op in, so it worked out to get me a full-time job,” said Lucki. “It’s definitely an adjustment trying to compete and work at the same time, but at the end of the day, I still love running.”
And run she does. Lucki balances her day job at EQ Building Performance, a green building consulting firm, with her demanding competition schedule. “I’ve been training and still traveling all over, trying to chase the dream of competing in track and field,” said Lucki. “All those things that I had to prioritize in college (sleep, recovery, fuel) are still priorities now, if not even bigger.”
The runner fully embraces the lessons she learned from being a Maryland student-athlete. “My time on the track and field teams made me feel very strongly that if there’s something you’re super passionate about, you really put all your effort and focus into chasing down certain goals…then the hard work will get you there.”