Five questions with Mackenzie Muldoon

The senior multi-events standout discusses growing up in Christiansburg, his goals this year and more

November 15, 2017

Editor’s note: Every Wednesday throughout the fall, we’ll catch up with track and field student-athletes and coaches for five questions.

Q: You are a native from right down the road in Christiansburg. Did you grow up a Virginia Tech fan?

MULDOON: “Pretty much, I grew up going to Tech games. My whole family is Tech fans, and I’ve always been a pretty big Hokie. I don’t hate UVA, but I’m not an UVA fan. So yeah, pretty much just Tech. I was pretty open minded, though, about where I would go to school. I applied to a few different schools like William and Mary and Roanoke College. But my senior year of high school, I just kind of got into the Tech mindset.”

Q: You played football at Christiansburg High School as well. How did that mold you into the athlete you are today with doing multi events?

MULDOON: “Well, football was kind of my first love because that’s kind of where I excelled early on. Track was like a past time and then my junior year was when I started to get fairly decent at track, and that’s when my desires changed. But I think playing football in high school kept everything balanced for me, like, I wasn’t getting burnt out if you will. So, football was a good release from track, but at the same time, about halfway through football season I would start looking forward to track season. There’s also a lot of different movements in football and track, so physically it helped me be more well-rounded.”

Q: In track and field, it is an individual sport but at the same time a team sport. With a different sport background, what do you like about that?

MULDOON: “I hate when people say track, and obviously it is an individual sport, but when they say that, like, luckily in America we have made it a team sport. So, in practice that pushes you to drive your teammates in practice because you want them to perform just as well as you. So, that allows for everyone else to win and earn a championship as a team. Having team championships in track and field I think really helps drive the motivation in practice to make each other better. It also helps everyone else perform better rather than just training on their own.”

Q: You’ve been named ACC All-Academic before. Why is academics such a priority to you?

MULDOON: “Well, I think academics should always come first. I’m here to get my degree and to become successful. I think just for me, my mind is always set on school first, unless it is like ACC week (laughing). But important assignments are always on my mind and once those are out of the way, then it is track all the way. I think it is important to find that priority balance between school and track.”

Q: You have placed a few times at ACCs. What would you like to accomplish this final year?

MULDOON: “My first completed multi event was Florida State sophomore year at outdoor ACCs. Finishing my first decathlon was pretty incredible, it was probably the most gratifying thing I’ve ever done. So, once I finished one, I was trying to figure out how I could do a little bit better in each event. I think I’ve grown as a decathlete in finding my strengths and weaknesses. For some reason I excel at distance events, which I never would have guessed. So, we have kind of put a little more emphasis on distance training. Also, pole vault is a strong event for me, so we are putting a lot of emphasis on pole vault. And then hurdles and long jump has kind of been my strong suit. Going into this season we are really going to focus on those and try to squeeze out as many points as possible. There’s some school records within reach, which is my big goal for this year, as well as making it to nationals.”

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