Maddie Rousseau was tired when she walked up to the starting block for the 400-meter hurdle finals at the Northeast Conference (NEC) Outdoor Track Championships at Stonehill’s W.B. Mason Stadium. Admittedly not her favorite race but one that she competes in to help the team accumulate points, the 400 hurdles came at the end of a busy day and Rousseau wasn’t feeling confident as she took off down the track.

“I had run two times prior to that race, so my legs were really sore and really tired,” she explained in a phone call a few days before heading to the season-ending NEICAAA Championships at UMass Amherst. “As I was running, it hurt the entire way and I thought, ‘Wow, this feels really slow.’ When I finished, I was kind of astonished.”

Rousseau crossed the line third, setting a new program record with a time of 1:01.58. It was the second record she set that day, having already broken her previous record with a time of 14.11 in the 100-meter hurdles (finishing second overall). She also helped the 4×100 relay team take third place.

Overall, Rousseau collected 20 points for the Skyhawks, who finished third as a team.

“Usually there’s not much going on in my brain when I finish,” Rousseau admitted when asked if she knew when she crossed the finish line that she was close to a record time. “I’m just kind of focused on breathing again, so most of the time my coach will come over and ask, ‘Do you know what time you just ran?’ and I don’t know, it’s just really getting through the finish line and feeling good about that race.”

“Hearing the time was super exciting. I didn’t expect it at all. An extra cherry on top.”

It has been a successful spring campaign for the former Canton standout. In April, Rousseau was named NEC Track Athlete of the Week after she won all three events at the Merrimack Alumni Classic. All of it was a buildup to the conference meet and another record-setting day.

Rousseau’s track career began in the spring of her freshman year at Canton. She swam during the winter, so didn’t run indoor track until college, but it took Rousseau, a two-time league all-star, time to understand the potential she had on the track. Canton coach Anna Amico convinced Rousseau that she had the ability to run at the next level. “She was the one who was like, ‘You’re good at this. You could run in college and be good,’” Rousseau said.

That proved to be an accurate assessment. Rousseau goes into her final meet holding four records at Stonehill. She has the fastest time in the 100 hurdles (14.11), 400 hurdles (1:02.06), the 4×100 relay (45.57), and the indoor 60-meter hurdles (8.82). All three of the outdoor records were set last weekend, as Rousseau closes her career on a high.

“I feel like when you get stressed then your brain gets scattered and you lose the purpose of what you’re supposed to be doing,” Rousseau explained. “Staying calm has been a big help and also remembering that this is fun and you’re doing this for enjoyment.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I still freak out before my races now, it kind of never goes away, but it’s definitely gotten easier to deal with the pressure and do what you need to do.”

As a captain this season, Rousseau has been able to impart that wisdom on the younger runners. “It’s all new and they don’t know what to expect,” she said. “It’s good to share that I’ve gone through these things as well and it’s okay to be nervous. It’s another thing that brings us together.”

The team aspect can sometimes be overlooked. Everyone focuses on the individual results, but the work that goes on in training and the support of teammates during the meet makes a big difference on performance.

“You bond over that common pain and you know people’s times and people’s goals and you want to see them do well,” Rousseau said. “It’s a balance between being excited for yourself and locking in and getting your team pumped up. It’s how people come together and the community you can build within the team that’s the most important thing.”

Once the season begins, there isn’t a lot of time to reflect on the journey that took Rousseau from that first practice at Canton to being a record-setter for a Div. I college program. Looking ahead to her final meet, Rousseau was able to take a second to acknowledge how far she had come and how the New England championships provide a fun bookend to her time at Stonehill.

“It’s exciting and sad at the same time,” she said.

“My freshman year this was the meet that I broke the 100-meter school record, so this is kind of a nostalgic meet for me that I’m beginning and ending with. This is what I look forward to at the end of the season. NECs are very stressful and my coaches like to say that this meet is just for us to enjoy and have fun.”

Ed. Note – Rousseau finished sixth in the 100 hurdles at the New England meet, clocking a time of 14.15. Also for Stonehill, Milford’s Emma Lawrence finished seventh in the 800 meters with a time of 2:16.38 and was part of the 4×800 relay team that took third in a time of 9:13.87, while Stoughton’s Will Tinkham was seventh in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal best time of 14.47.