Shannon Zweifel

By Shawna Carpentier
UWRF Sports Information

Her character is three deep. Dedicated, determined and disciplined Falcon Shannon Zweifel personifies a passion for athletics.

"It's been my life," says Zweifel of growing up in a family of athletes, "I evolve my life around it."

She's been competing in track and field since she was in sixth grade, and Zweifel has had both the motivation and guidance to be a victorious competitor. Zweifel credits her older sister, a former University of Minnesota heptathlon competitor, Saree for the inspiration to get involved in the sport. But it is her father, Stan, the newly hired Falcon football offensive coordinator, who has instilled the value of a hard work ethic into the heart of Zweifel's drive for success.

"She's the kid who won't miss a work out," says Falcon Head Coach Martha Brennan, "you're gonna get all she's got that day."

Starting her booming career as an athlete at Whitewater High School, Zweifel competed as a two-sport athlete for the Whippets. Holding multiple records in varsity basketball, Zweifel holds records for game, season and career performances. Among her specialty around the three point line, Zweifel made 88 three pointers through the course of her career and 42 in a single season. A four-time varsity athlete in track and field Zweifel made her success at the state level. Runner up in the 300 hurdles her senior year, Zweifel also competed in all four relay races. Two of them, the 4x400 and the 4x800, placed second. In both sports Zweifel was a three time MVP and was captain of the basketball team for three years and track and field squad for two.

Although she's now competing at the collegiate level in the highly competitive WIAC, Zweifel continues to add her name to the record books. Nominated as a captain this season, Zweifel is a previous recipient of the Hard Core Award for her dedication and hard work in the sport. She also was named the women's track MVP her first and second years with the Falcons.

As a Falcon, she holds five University records. Indoor, Zweifel set a 500-meter run record (1:21.49) in 2006 and in 2007 she broke records as a member of the 4x400 (4:00.5) and distance medley (12:31:14) relay teams. In her specialty event, the 400 hurdles (1:01.6), Zweifel broke the University record in 2006; the same year she won the conference championships and earned All-American status in that event. During the outdoor 2006 season, Zweifel broke another record as a member of the 4x400 relay (3:56.93) team.

Brennan stresses that Zweifel's success does not come without a strong commitment. "She understands how much work it takes." In fact, Brennan judges the effectiveness of the Falcons' nine-month training plan on how it works out for Zweifel. Brennan says she knows Zweifel commits to the plan and if it doesn't work, it's not because Zweifel didn't do it.

Even though her training can get difficult, committing to the sport is not a hard task for Zweifel. "I love that it's how dedicated and motivated you are personally," she says, "pushing yourself farther than you thought you could." Not forgetting her teammates, Zweifel also enjoys running relays and collecting points for a team score.

Zweifel is not without personal goals either. She has been sprinting and lifting so that she can defend her title in the 400 hurdles this year at the Falcon hosted 2007 WIAC Championships. Though Zweifel humbly says she would like to place higher this year at nationals in the event than her eighth place finish last year, she shares that her true goal is to be a national champion. Currently Zweifel is one of the five fastest times (1:02.85) of Division III athletes in the 400 hurdles.

"It's exciting when your times get better," says Zweifel. She hopes by the end of her fourth year next season she can break the 1:00 minute mark in the 400 hurdles. "I would love to run a .59," she says.

Also a qualifier in the 100 hurdles and the 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800 relays, Zweifel will be a key performer at the conference championships. Brennan comments that the secret to big meets is for athletes to do what they have done all season. She says Zweifel is, "more of a valuable [member], she's one of those handful of people that you expect to do what they have done all year."

Zweifel will do what she's always done when it comes to her rituals before every meet she participates in. Using food as fuel Zweifel eats peanut butter and jelly on toast, has a banana and a glass of orange juice for breakfast on the morning of a meet. More sentimental is her t-shirt that reads, "Bear hugs for Mark." When her brother Mark was diagnosed with cancer at the age of five, Zweifel's family held a run and walk event to raise money for his treatment. With her brother alive and well, Zweifel continues to wear the t-shirt signifying that time in her brother's honor.

Athletics have been an important influence in Zweifel's life. Not only have they helped to organize her life, they have also promoted what Zweifel desires to do with her future. A health and human performance major, she plans to start her professional life as a physical education and health teacher at a middle school or high school upon graduating from River Falls. Her long time goal she says is to, "teach and coach my own university level [track and field] team."

As a present athlete and future coach, Zweifel shares her advice with inspiring track and field athletes. "Stick to it; you can get better over time," she comments, "if you quit too soon you can miss out on the success you could have in the future."

Though future eventually leads to the past, Zweifel will continue to press on. "She's a feisty little person," says Brennan.

Zweifel's hobbies include scrap booking, hanging out with friends and being a "family body."

Zweifel is the daughter of Diane and Stan and sister to Saree, Michael and Mark.