Diana Hossfeld

Barry Faulkner

Though she is a consummate pleasure to coach, Nothwestern University

junior Diana Hossfeld can also be a periodic pain in the clipboard.

Wildcats women’s cross country coach Amy Tush said Hossfeld’s

methodical, consistent pace has prompted more than a few anxious

race-day moments.

“Sometimes, she makes me pull my hair out, because it will be the

middle of the race and she won’t be up as far in the pack as I

project her to be,” Tush said. “But, by the end of the race, she

always seems to be where she’s supposed to be.”

Hossfeld was a solid, though not spectacular contributor to Corona

del Mar High’s CIF State and CIF Southern Section Division IV

championship team in 1999. She finished third among her teammates at

the section finals and fifth among Sea Kings at the state meet as a

senior.

But, benefiting from increased distance training -- a tactic CdM

Coach Bill Sumner discourages, as not to prematurely tax his prep

runners’ bodies before they head off to collegiate competition --

Hossfeld made great strides even before she arrived in the Chicago

area.

She lowered her times significantly after training 40-50 miles a

week before her first year at Northwestern, then continued to

strengthen her performance with offseason regimens of between 50-65

miles per week the last two offseasons.

“She has been a very, very pleasant surprise,” said Tush, who

projects Hossfeld as the team’s No. 1 runner this fall. “She is a

very hard worker and she’s very competitive in everything she does.

And, she’s probably the most consistent runner I’ve ever coached.”

Hossfeld, who finished 22nd individually at the NCAA Midwest

regionals last fall to help the Wildcats advance to the NCAA

championships, where they finished 30th as a team, said her

consistent pacing has come out of necessity.

“I guess I’ve always started slow and had to move up,” she said.

This back-of-the-pack predicament, however, winds up working in

Hossfeld’s favor, as her competitive instincts are stirred most with

a string of rivals in her sights.

“I like to see how many people I can catch,” Hossfeld said.

“Growing up as the youngest with two older brothers, I always had to

fight to get my way in my family.”

And while friends, teammates and acquaintances are readily aware

of Hossfeld’s friendly demeanor and persistent smile, Tush said there

is also a ferocity lurking near the surface, ready to respond to the

most casual competitive encounter.

“We went to a go-cart place on a team outing, and I got a kick out

of watching how competitive Diana was behind the wheel,” Tush

recalled. “She was trying to put her teammates into the wall.”

Hossfeld is expected to continue running through barriers this

season, as she tries to lead Northwestern back to the NCAA

championships.

“She can qualify for the NCAA meet as an individual this year and

that should be a goal,” Tush said.

Hossfeld, a communications major with a 3.8 GPA, said she covets

academic All-American status that has barely eluded her the past two

seasons, though she is less specific about other goals.

“I’ have always just run as hard as I could and not expected

things,” she said. “I just want to put in the effort and do my job.”