Catching Up With Lauren Gubicza-Brennan, FCRH '93

Throughout its history Fordham has produced its share of legendary student-athletes in track and field. From Olympian Tom Courtney to recent All-America standout Kerstin Greene, success has never been far from the forefront at Rose Hill. However what has always been more impressive than medals and records has been the life success and lessons learned that so many who participated in track and field have had.
 
One of Fordham's greatest track success stories in the late 1980's and early 90's was Lauren Gubicza-Brennan. No matter what discipline she took on Gubicza-Brennan found success, eventually setting 14 school records in indoor, outdoor and cross country. She was perhaps Fordham's greatest ambassador in track and field at a time when women's athletics were really becoming more prominent at Rose Hill, a standard that she helped set and one that continues today, from the pool and softball field to the hardwood and soccer pitch.
 
We caught up with Lauren recently to ask her about her Fordham experience, and her link to of all things, Major League Baseball.
 
You had such an amazing track career at Fordham, have you stayed active in athletics since you left?
After graduating Fordham, I stuck around for a year as a graduate assistant for the team and continued to train under Coach Suzanne O'Connell.  I left Fordham the next year but continued to train under Coach O'Connell, competing professionally for Asics.  One of the highlights during this period was earning a spot a United States Development team with my placement as the US Championships.  The team traveled together and competed in Austria, Finland, and Switzerland.  I stopped competing when I became pregnant with my first child.  I coached high school track and cross country for a few  years.   I still run almost every day for enjoyment and jump in a local road races occasionally.  I hope to return to coaching when my children get older.
 
What was the highlight personally of your career as a student-athlete at Fordham?
The two biggest highlights personally of my career as a student -athlete at Fordham were becoming a three-time All-American and qualifying for the 1992 Olympic Trials.
 
Were there any lessons learned through your experience that have helped you after you graduated?
I learned many lessons through my experience as a student-athlete that have helped me after graduation.  One big one is that hard work leads to success, even if that success may not be your original goal but the feeling you get from giving something your best effort.  You are not going to win every race or accomplish every goal but I learned that the process of putting your best effort into something is really the greatest reward. 
 
I also learned how to handle the feeling of being overwhelmed.  I'll never forget the sick feeling I would get when seeing a syllabus for a class at the beginning of a term,  or the butterflies just thinking about the big races coming at the end of the season.  This feeling can be very overwhelming.  I learned not to focus on the big picture but to take one assignment at a time or one workout/race at a time.  By focusing on smaller goals I would be in better position to reach the big goal in the end.
 
Lastly, I learned the importance of confidence.  Looking back on my racing days, my best performances were always when I felt most confident.  The races that I would like to forget were always when I doubted myself.  I learned that you can't just tell yourself to be confident.  Confidence comes from preparation. 
 
While at Fordham you were linked to your famous cousin a bit, Mark Gubicza of the Royals, what was that like to have a family member in MLB?
It was fun and inspirational to have a cousin pitching in the Major Leagues.  Having a family member reach the highest level of achievement in his sport allowed me to "think big" in terms of the possibilities in my own sport.  I remember as a young girl visiting my uncle's house asking where Mark was.  It was the off season and he was off running getting fit for the next season.  He taught me that it's not just talent that gets you there but hard work is just as important.
 
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while being a student-athlete? Is there any advice you would give young people who are trying to balance academics and athletics today, given your experience?
I think that the biggest challenge for a student-athlete is time management.  It can get very stressful trying to balance schoolwork with team commitments while also trying to enjoy the college life.  I tried to stay in the moment.  If I had a big exam as well practice or a meet I would try to focus on one at a time.  If I was at practice I didn't even think about the school work, I just focused on getting a good practice in.  Once I left,  my full focus would turn back to studying. 
 
I also feel it is important to enjoy "regular" student fun.  You may not be able to participate in every fun activity but it is important to make that a priority when the schedule allows.  I never thought about what I was missing out on being a student/athlete because the benefits of being part of a team far outweigh the sacrifice.
 
Bio:
Lauren is now married with three children  (Brian, 13, Reilly, 11, Avery 7).  A few years after graduation she  went back to school to study teaching, and  taught 7th and 8th grade while also coaching high school cross country and track.  After the birth of her first child I decided to leave teaching and coaching to stay at home but hopes to return when the children are older.  She spent four years living in Australia and moved back two years ago and now live in Devon, PA.  These days she spends more time at the pool than the track as her older two children are both competitive swimmers.