Katie Erb is entering her senior season for both UW-Whitewater track and field as well as cross country. Her goal for this season is the same as any other runner: make it to nationals. But Erb knows that she can’t do it alone, she is going to need her team. 

“I want to make sure I’m working hard in practice to set the tone,” Erb said. “I’m just trying to get everyone involved as much as possible.”

Having a good culture is essential for success. Teammates with good chemistry elevate one another during competitions. When the team isn’t hard at work, they’re making sure to spend quality team bonding time. One of the more notable activities is a program-wide (men’s and women’s teams) cookout, as well as a bonfire. 

Every year, a new group of freshmen enters the program. College can be a lot at first. Especially as a student-athlete. Erb has made it a focal point to make sure that the new members of the program are cared for and set up for success.

“I want to make sure that the freshmen are brought along and not just alone in their dorm rooms,” Erb said. “They should hang out with each other, go to dinner together. It doesn’t have to be every night, but do stuff outside [of practice] and just be close with your teammates.”

Erb has taken inspiration from previous seniors in the cross country and track and field programs and learned from their leadership styles. She has set the tone for all of the athletes with her preparation, putting in work inside and outside of practice. 

This past offseason, Erb put an emphasis on cross training and core exercises in order to improve her overall fitness, which should help her during competitions. She also focused on nutrition and consistency in terms of hitting her intended mileage.

“I like to prepare for track and field like I prepare for cross country,” Erb said. “I try to do higher mileage and try to get as much aerobic fitness as possible because it’ll end up translating.”

Mental preparation has been a big part of Erb’s success. Going into competitions, she’ll visualize herself having success, and then visualize the race itself. At the same time, Erb realizes that events won’t always go smoothly and prepares for any obstacles she’ll face.

Erb is no stranger to success. One of her favorite achievements comes from the 2024-2025 season, where she ran the 1500m, and then returned to the track a few hours later to run in the 5k event.

“That’s a really hard double [event]. It was really cool just to be able to do that and to place in both of them. It’s nice to know the hard work was paying off,” Erb said.

Katie Erb’s parents have played a unique role in her athletic journey. Erb mentioned them as the two people that have had the biggest impact on her, but they weren’t just supporters, they coached her in high school. 

“It was tricky because they had to coach and they can’t show favoritism. You knew that if they were going to yell at someone on the team that it was going to be you,” Erb said with a laugh. “I liked that they were able to be there for all of my events as well as practices and cheer me on.”

With all of her hard work and dedication, Katie Erb is visualizing her senior season to be the best one yet.