“When I found running, I just put my heart into it, and I found out that I really love it,” explained junior Molly Desotell.

Desotell finished her Cross Country season as Wisconsin’s third top female in Division Two. She found this sport in middle school, and as her passion for it grew, she started to focus more and more  on it. 

“At first I used to play basketball, and I was really into basketball, but then I tried out Cross Country in middle school. I liked it, and I was decent at it, so then in high school it took off and I realized that I could do something about this,” said Desotell. 

Consequently, Desotell decided to start training. In the beginning, she used to do a lot of it alone. Then she decided to go to summer running and that meant running with her team. 

Desotell later was introduced to Nate Vandervest, a trainer that works for Bellin. During the period of time she trained with Vandervest, she worked on her strength by running a lot and was given tips on eating.  Eating healthy became a big part of her training. After the summer she would start to train with her team once again.

“I really want a good team with good chemistry, and that’s exactly what we had this year. It was actually so much fun. Every year that I’ve been here we’ve had such a good team and  everyone is so nice, and I love them all. It’s just a fun environment,” said Desotell. 

Desotell thanks her parents for always supporting her, being there for her whenever she needs them, and making sure that she can be the best version of herself. She feels that they provide a happy and good environment for her because she knows her parents are very proud of her, which makes her happy. For Desotell, they are her inspiration. 

For the past two years, Desotell has been wearing a necklace as a good luck charm, but this does not necessarily mean that she believes in any superstitions. In fact, she does not, “I just don’t really believe it’s true.” 

For those who would like to or are interested in starting to run for the very first time, Desotell advises, “Just train hard, put your heart into it. If you work hard, it will help, and it will show, and good things will come.”