Rocks shows commitment to competition and perseverance

Senior middle distance runner Beth Rocks has made a habit of getting people’s attention during… Senior middle distance runner Beth Rocks has made a habit of getting people’s attention during her decorated track career at Pitt. Whether it be by winning a race in record time or by screaming at the top of her lungs to encourage teammates, Rocks always lets everyone know she’s there.

“A lot of people think I’m pretty loud,” said Rocks, 21, with a big smile. “I am pretty loud.”

Rocks, who went to high school at Nazareth Academy in Philadelphia, is loud when she’s in the stands, but she lets her feet do the talking while she’s competing.

Rocks capped off a spectacular indoor track season with an individual regional championship in the 1,000 meters and a trip to the NCAA championships as an automatic qualifier in the 800.

But back to the being “pretty loud” part, Rocks has a lot of fun urging her team on.

“I enjoy watching everybody, even at practice,” said Rocks, a business major with concentrations in human resources and organizational behavior.

“I like to help people. I love the team. I love being a part of it.”

But sophomore teammate Janine Jones pointed out sometimes it’s tough love with Rocks.

“She has an authoritative personality,” Jones said of Rocks. “Even if you don’t want to hear what you’re doing wrong, she will tell you.”

Jones hasn’t given Rocks much reason to complain. The two have been each other’s biggest supporter and competitor over the past two years, and each runner has benefited from the other.

“Every race we run, we run together,” Jones said.

Jones and Rocks finished second and third, respectively, in the 800 at this year’s Big East Championships. Rocks cruised to victory in the 1,000 at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship, while Jones took second in the 800 and automatically qualified for the NCAA Championship.

There she joined Rocks in the 800 race. Jones finished 12th and achieved All-American status and Rocks was close behind in 18th.

Rocks said the first time she thought she could do something special in track was at the indoor state championships during her junior year of high school.

She was Nazareth’s anchor leg on the team’s 3,200 relay that year.

“I got the baton in sixth place,” Rocks said. “I caught up to the leaders, and it came down to the line.

“I got leaned out at the very end. We lost by two-hundredths of a second.”

But she was back at it again the next year. This time the team won by a couple of seconds.

Soon after, head coach Steve Lewis and Pitt came calling. Even on her first visit, Rocks liked Pitt. “When I came out, I had a good feeling about this place,” she said.

But when she arrived here, injuries started taking their toll.

“It was hard for me at first,” Rocks said. “I had stress fractures in my legs, so I spent a lot of time not running in my first semester.”

Rocks has some great team memories from her first two years at Pitt, but feels she wasn’t very effective in individual races until last year. During last year’s indoor track meet at Penn State Rocks ran the race of her life. She won the 800 and provisionally qualified for the national championship.

“[That race] will be something I remember for a while,” Rocks said.

At season’s end, Rocks didn’t make the cut. After that, she made national championships her first priority this year.

And she did so on the same Penn State track with Jones racing with her.

“Janine took the race out hard, and we went with her,” Rocks said.

“At the 600 mark, both of us took off. I was thinking to myself I’ve just gotta hold on.”

Rocks did more than hold on. She won the race with an automatic qualifying time.

Things continued to progress for Rocks as the season moved on, culminating in that ECAC 1,000 title.

Even with all the success, Rocks felt the season ended on a little bit of a sour note. She wished she could have the NCAA race back to run over again.

“It gave me a taste. It gave me a bad taste,” Rocks said of the national meet.

“I ran a stupid race, and it cost me in the long run. But now I have the outdoor season, and I know what I have to do to get to the next level.”