During her modified running in junior high and on into high school, Tracey excelled at short distance running. As a varsity runner she regularly did both the 400 meter hurdles and the 400 meter dash, and still holds the 400 meter record (58.2) in Livingston County, more than ten years later! Collegiate running brought her continued success, where she was an NCAA All-American at SUNY Cortland four times, twice in the 800 meter run, and one time each in both the 4x400 meter relay and cross country. Additionally, she was on two cross country teams that were national champions in 1989 and 1992.

Although her victories were numerous throughout her college years, one of the highlights came when trying to qualify for the 7th spot on the team to compete at the Nationals. Qualifying took place on the Binghamton course used in the ECAC’s- a straight shot up a mile and a half hill and then back down again. Tracey was up for the position with one other woman. When the time came to race for the spot, her competitor was ill and the coach decided to put it off for a week. A week later, Tracey was the one who was sick, but with no time left, she had no choice but to run. With a 101 degree temperature, and only sheer determination after the delay on her side, Tracey not only qualified for the team, she finished in the 5^th spot at the NCAA Championships. In doing so, she nudged two of her closest rivals to the 6th and 7th positions; her twin sisters Heather Webster and Heidi Swartz.

With her academic years behind her, Tracey has focused on new things. "I was a sprinter then, how things have changed." These days Tracey is doing more distance, recording impressive times in the past few years at the Utica Boilermaker 15K (61:41 - 2000) as well as the Columbus Marathon (3:09:27 - 2002.) She enjoys many races, but finds the Boilermaker to be one of her favorites because of the large number of people who run it, along with the phenomenal crowd support. She also likes the Mt. Goat 10 miler which she considers "the toughest race around."

Staying motivated is not difficult for her as she has several reasons for running. Primarily, she loves to compete. She also feels that dedication to her sport of choice and the spirit of competition make her a good role model for her children as well as the athletes she coaches. And she finds, "I feel stir crazy if I do not run." Tracey has goals that keep her focused. Currently recording about 40 miles per week, she would like to reach 50 by the end of the winter. This summer, she hopes to break an hour at the Boilermaker and in the fall, she would like to finish a marathon in under 3 hours. And, she says with a smile, "trying to beat my sisters at any race!"

Besides her personal running goals, Tracey has a team goal as well. She coaches the Boys Cross Country team at Liverpool High School, where they have seen much success. The team was both league champs and won the Sectionals in 2000 and 2001. Also in 2001, her team made it to the State Meet where they were not favored to win. They ended up second, losing by a mere one point! Tracey hopes her team of dedicated young men will have another crack at that title in the years ahead.

Originally from Dansville, Tracey now resides in Phoenix with her husband Daniel and their two young sons Evan and Garrett. Besides coaching at Liverpool High, she also works there as a physical education teacher. She enjoys camping and volleyball. In fact, if she had the time for cross training she would love to play competitive volleyball. But family, work and running keep her plenty busy for now.

February, 2003