University Southern California Trojans
Getting To Know USC Track & Field's Ritika Singh
November 04, 2021 | Track & Field
This week I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with USC freshman Track & Field runner Ritika Singh. She is a California native from San Ramon. We talked about her adjusting to campus life and the team, preparing for the new 6K competition, her go-to karaoke song and so much more. Ritika Singh helped USC place 11th at the 2021 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships, the highest team finish for the Trojans since 2014. .
Q: What led you to choose to attend USC?
RS: I knew I always wanted to live in L.A. and USC has been a dream school of mine for a long time. My family friend is a senior here and she absolutely loves it here and always raves about the school, so that was a big factor. I think the school has a perfect balance of school and academic life and the athletic program is unparalleled. The cross country and track and field teams have won so many awards. In the locker room, there are pictures of some of the best athletes that have come from USC which is just so inspiring and motivating to look at every day. USC was definitely my top choice, it's just the perfect fit for me.
Q: As a freshman, has the team helped you adjust to college life?
RS: The team has helped a lot. The upperclassmen plan events for all of us to hang out and get to know each other. All the freshman and transfer students live in the same apartment complex, so we hang out a lot and have become pretty close friends. It's great because since starting college, I never felt alone which is what a lot of freshmen feel. Being on a team that puts effort into getting to know each other has helped me better adjust and integrate into college life.
Q: What has your experience been running for the cross-country team?
RS: I've never had to work out this hard in my life, so it's been really fun to be able to push myself to become a better athlete. There are great people and resources. I feel so taken care of here, it's great!
Q: How was your first Pac-12 championship experience like?
RS: When I went to the course it felt so surreal. It was honestly mind-blowing to think "wow, I'm at Utah to compete at Pac-12s… the Pac-12". For the actual race itself, it was a learning experience for me because I didn't perform as well as I would've liked. Being surrounded by athletes who are at the top of their game was very motivating because I want to be at their level in the future.
Q: The 6K is new this year. How'd that go and how did you mentally prepare for it?
RS: I used to run the 3-mile which I really liked because you can separate the miles. The first miles you go kind of hard, second miles you try to maintain speed, and the third mile you give it everything you've got. But the 6k is adding another .75 miles so honestly, it's more mentally tough than anything. Because it's such a long distance, I've had to train myself to not look at my watch or look at the competition and just focus on myself. To stay mentally there, I just remember why I came here. I came here to race and I'm not going to waste any opportunities to race. I'm lucky enough to be an athlete, which in itself is motivational enough for me to run the race. I'm going to make the most out of any opportunity given so I'm going to try my hardest on the line.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about the track and field season?
RS: I'm so excited to bond with the rest of the team! I really like running track events. I also love watching track races. Since during cross country season there's only one race, it'll be fun to now be able to watch races.
Q: You say you would like to work in the entertainment industry after graduation. How are you planning to use your degree in Computer Science and Business Administration?
RS: I want to minor in something in the entertainment industry. I picked computer science and business administration because it's very applicable to every company. With those two majors, I want to work in the computer science or business sector of a major entertainment company.
Q: Did you know Isabelle Cairns before you came to USC?
RS: I actually didn't! When we found out we were roommates, we Facetimed a couple of times. And, she doesn't remember this, but I swear I remember seeing her school uniform everywhere at competitions. In one race I remember she was leading the competition by so much and one of my friends who was in the race was talking about fast she went. Because I knew she committed to USC early on, I remember thinking that that's my future roommate. We only live 30 minutes to 40 minutes away from each other and we've gotten super close this year so we will definitely see each other during winter and summer break.
Q: Your roommate says you like to bake occasionally. What is your specialty?
RS: We like making banana bread. It's a staple. I'm looking to make brownies soon. I love brownies there my favorite dessert.
Q: You have said that Emma Coburn and Colleen Quigley are your sports heroes for their social presence. Could you expand on that?
RS: I feel like they're both just very authentic because they post the good and the bad days of being an athlete. They're both very present on Instagram and usually on pro-athletes' social media you only see the good things in their life, and you think everything is constantly great. But, in reality, it's not and they post about that which I really love. Showing their bad days helps me because it shows me that you can have a bad day and come back from it. One bad day isn't the end of the world.
Q: I know the track team did a team-bonding karaoke night recently… did you partake? Who stood out? Did the coaches sing?
RS: I did! I was a judge, which was so fun. I felt like Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay of the karaoke session. Honestly, all our coaches really stood out. Coach Watts had a wig on, which was great. One of the groups had a full-on choreography routine. It was so nice to see everyone having fun and letting loose. It definitely served as team bonding.
Q: Last question if you were a singer at karaoke night what would you sing?
RS: That's such a hard question! I think it would have to be Adele. I would have to sing 'Set Fire to the Rain'.
Q: What led you to choose to attend USC?
RS: I knew I always wanted to live in L.A. and USC has been a dream school of mine for a long time. My family friend is a senior here and she absolutely loves it here and always raves about the school, so that was a big factor. I think the school has a perfect balance of school and academic life and the athletic program is unparalleled. The cross country and track and field teams have won so many awards. In the locker room, there are pictures of some of the best athletes that have come from USC which is just so inspiring and motivating to look at every day. USC was definitely my top choice, it's just the perfect fit for me.
Q: As a freshman, has the team helped you adjust to college life?
RS: The team has helped a lot. The upperclassmen plan events for all of us to hang out and get to know each other. All the freshman and transfer students live in the same apartment complex, so we hang out a lot and have become pretty close friends. It's great because since starting college, I never felt alone which is what a lot of freshmen feel. Being on a team that puts effort into getting to know each other has helped me better adjust and integrate into college life.
Q: What has your experience been running for the cross-country team?
RS: I've never had to work out this hard in my life, so it's been really fun to be able to push myself to become a better athlete. There are great people and resources. I feel so taken care of here, it's great!
Q: How was your first Pac-12 championship experience like?
RS: When I went to the course it felt so surreal. It was honestly mind-blowing to think "wow, I'm at Utah to compete at Pac-12s… the Pac-12". For the actual race itself, it was a learning experience for me because I didn't perform as well as I would've liked. Being surrounded by athletes who are at the top of their game was very motivating because I want to be at their level in the future.
Q: The 6K is new this year. How'd that go and how did you mentally prepare for it?
RS: I used to run the 3-mile which I really liked because you can separate the miles. The first miles you go kind of hard, second miles you try to maintain speed, and the third mile you give it everything you've got. But the 6k is adding another .75 miles so honestly, it's more mentally tough than anything. Because it's such a long distance, I've had to train myself to not look at my watch or look at the competition and just focus on myself. To stay mentally there, I just remember why I came here. I came here to race and I'm not going to waste any opportunities to race. I'm lucky enough to be an athlete, which in itself is motivational enough for me to run the race. I'm going to make the most out of any opportunity given so I'm going to try my hardest on the line.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about the track and field season?
RS: I'm so excited to bond with the rest of the team! I really like running track events. I also love watching track races. Since during cross country season there's only one race, it'll be fun to now be able to watch races.
Q: You say you would like to work in the entertainment industry after graduation. How are you planning to use your degree in Computer Science and Business Administration?
RS: I want to minor in something in the entertainment industry. I picked computer science and business administration because it's very applicable to every company. With those two majors, I want to work in the computer science or business sector of a major entertainment company.
Q: Did you know Isabelle Cairns before you came to USC?
RS: I actually didn't! When we found out we were roommates, we Facetimed a couple of times. And, she doesn't remember this, but I swear I remember seeing her school uniform everywhere at competitions. In one race I remember she was leading the competition by so much and one of my friends who was in the race was talking about fast she went. Because I knew she committed to USC early on, I remember thinking that that's my future roommate. We only live 30 minutes to 40 minutes away from each other and we've gotten super close this year so we will definitely see each other during winter and summer break.
Q: Your roommate says you like to bake occasionally. What is your specialty?
RS: We like making banana bread. It's a staple. I'm looking to make brownies soon. I love brownies there my favorite dessert.
Q: You have said that Emma Coburn and Colleen Quigley are your sports heroes for their social presence. Could you expand on that?
RS: I feel like they're both just very authentic because they post the good and the bad days of being an athlete. They're both very present on Instagram and usually on pro-athletes' social media you only see the good things in their life, and you think everything is constantly great. But, in reality, it's not and they post about that which I really love. Showing their bad days helps me because it shows me that you can have a bad day and come back from it. One bad day isn't the end of the world.
Q: I know the track team did a team-bonding karaoke night recently… did you partake? Who stood out? Did the coaches sing?
RS: I did! I was a judge, which was so fun. I felt like Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay of the karaoke session. Honestly, all our coaches really stood out. Coach Watts had a wig on, which was great. One of the groups had a full-on choreography routine. It was so nice to see everyone having fun and letting loose. It definitely served as team bonding.
Q: Last question if you were a singer at karaoke night what would you sing?
RS: That's such a hard question! I think it would have to be Adele. I would have to sing 'Set Fire to the Rain'.
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