Click here to view Aurora Barkley's TFRRS profile
As a Sophomore - XC (2023)
- Did not compete
Pre-Chico Days
- Transfer from the University of Arizona
- Competed only once for the Wildcats last year due to injuries
- Despite a very mixed-up schedule due to COVID, broke through during her senior year at Oregon’s Wilsonville High School
- Won every cross country race she competed in during the 2020–21 season, including the Northwest Oregon Conference district meet
- Posted personal best times in the two-mile run (11:47.5), the 5,000m (18:08.0), and 10,000m (a school-record 37:28.0)
- Balanced a combination of cross country races and track meets in the spring, notching a 10:49 3k PR and a ninth place finish at the state track championships
- Ranks second in school history is the two-mile run, third in the 5k, and sixth all-time in the 3k.
Personal
- Born May 6, in Clackamas, Oregon
- Daughter of David and Melinda
- Has one older sibling, Nehemiah
- Her mom is her hero (“She has done so much for me and is always there for me. She is the hardest working person I know and has taught me so much”)
- Why she chose to attend Chico State: “I loved the team atmosphere and how supportive the team is”
- Her greatest sports moment was posting a personal best time in the 10k (“It was a road race in Eugene, Oregon, and they released us one at a time so I didn’t get to race against anyone like during a normal race. This made it mentally challenging, but I was able to keep an even pace the whole race. This was my first 10k and I ran the best time out of anyone that day, men or women)”
- The most interesting thing she’s ever done is compete in rodeos (“I actually almost competed in the NCAA as an equestrian instead of a runner”)
- The most impressive thing she’s ever accomplished is running her 10k PR “all by myself with no one to compete against or help pace me”
- Has learned by competing in distance running “to trust the process. I’ve been hurt multiple times over the last year, and it’s been hard to be so far behind where I used to be. But I’m trusting the healing and growing process to become a better athlete”
- Enjoys hiking, being outside, and spending time with friends
- Her dad was the cross country and track coach at her high school “so I’ve been going to cross country camp since I was three months old”
- At the top of her bucket list: “I've never been out of the country, and there’s a lot of places in Europe that I want to travel to!”
- Best advice ever received came from Wildcats head coach Gary Towne: “This summer I was freaking out about how I was going to get through another injury, and he told me ‘keep the faith, you'll be back’”
- Majoring in psychology
- Plans to continue on to graduate school.
