Name: Elizabeth “Liz” Maloy
Sport: Track & field
Position: Distance runner
Hometown: Loudonville, N.Y.
High School: The Academy of Holy Names
School/Year: COL ’07
Major: Psychology
High School Highlights: 2003: State Champion in 1,500m run . Capital Region Scholar Athlete . second at Pan-American Games … 2002-03: All-American athlete in mile run . 2002: 1,500m run champion.
Georgetown Highlights: 2004: Third at Great Meadows Cross Country Invitational . 2nd at Penn State Invitational . Championship Big East Team DMR . 2005: First at Paul Shore Invitational.
When did you first start running? Seventh grade. I didn’t make the tennis team. Well, I went to school and I had tennis shoes and a racquet, and I just decided that I didn’t want to play tennis. So I went to cross-country practice instead. Then I got sucked in.
What is your favorite event? I like the 1,500m. I mean, I run the 800m and the 3,000m, but I haven’t really done that very often. And cross country, but that is different.
What do you do to get psyched for a meet? Usually I just listen to music on my iPod. It isn’t even particularly exciting music. We have a cheer; we always say “GU Blue” when we are on the starting line. That gets us psyched up, but we don’t have any team rituals or anything.
Any superstitions? I have to have ribbons in my hair. I bought ribbons for my whole team for the meet last week, and made everyone wear them. I say that is why we ran so well. That started in high school, probably the eighth-grade year. And I have run with a ribbon on my hair every race since then – except one, and that was really traumatizing.
What do you currently have in your gym bag? I have pins for numbers, safety pins to put numbers on my uniform. I clean it out so it doesn’t smell, so I don’t have very much in there.
Who’s your biggest rival? Team-wise, probably Duke because we lose a lot of recruits to Duke. We don’t like them. Or Villanova – we don’t like them either. You just see the “V” on the back of their uniforms and have to go for them.
What was the best moment in your career so far? In high school, probably winning the state meet my senior year because I broke the meet record. That was really exciting. And here last weekend [Paul Shore Invitational]. I feel like that was my first good race.
If you could be great at any other sport besides track & field, what would it be? I wish I could play tennis. I played when I was little, and I stopped playing for – I don’t remember why. I just didn’t get back into it. I feel it is a fun sport you should be able to play.
Favorite Georgetown restaurant? Restaurante Picollo, the best place ever. They had – it was a special – a lobster ravioli that was unbelievable.
What are you currently listening to? I’m kind of on a Coldplay kick recently, the new CD that came out this summer.
Freshman dorm? Harbin. We got into a prank war with the boys in my team. We had to stop doing that because it was getting a little out of control. They came into my room and duct taped my chair to the ceiling. I don’t know how they did it, but it was hanging in my room. But then we went to their room and took their mattresses into the shower stalls. After that it kind of died off because we called a truce.
What one thing do you miss the most about home? My mom’s cooking, probably. I was just saying in the cafeteria I wanted to go home just for a meal. She does a lobster and steak, and then has a pasta dish with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and arugala. And corn – the corn from home is so good.
Who’s your biggest inspiration? I don’t know. I guess I have to go with my parents, probably. I feel like they supported me so much through high school, bring me to meets, and just being there. I feel if they weren’t supportive that I would not be where I am now.
What made you choose Georgetown for college? Just the atmosphere, I think. We don’t have very good facilities obviously, so that didn’t have much to do with it. I liked the coaches, the surrounding areas, and the people I met on campus.
Something not many people know about you? That’s a hard one. I don’t know. I have 28 cousins, does that count? I feel like I talk about them all the time. They have funny names.
Least favorite movie? I am really embarrassed that I actually saw it, but Gigli. My girlfirend and I saw it just to see if it was the worst movie made, and it really was. It was so awful.
Favorite movie? Circle of Friends. It’s Minnie Driver’s first movie. It’s just that movie you can watch three times in a row.
Favorite TV show? The only one I watch religiously is “The O.C.,” and it is not really holding my attention at this point. I keep on saying I am going to stop watching it, but I never will. Seth is probably the best character on the show.
Favorite course at Georgetown? Athletics and Gender. I really liked that class.
Pepsi or Coke? Pepsi. Oh, I hate Coke.
What is your biggest pet peeve? Crumbs on the table. I hate it. It bugs me so much and now I am thinking about it.
Most embarrassing moment? I was thinking about this one. Dropping a tray in the cafeteria freshman year is probably the most awful thing ever. Then everyone starts cheering, and I feel so bad. It is so bad.
Who on the team do you rely on the most? If I ever had problems, I would go to Coach Helmer. If I was doing a workout, it is Maggie Infeld [COL ’08].
Dream job? If I could shop all the time and get paid for it – I don’t know how to describe it – because I want to shop for myself and not as a profession.
What is your biggest track-related goal? I don’t like thinking that far in the future, because I have had so many injuries. My goal right now is to stay healthy.
Booey’s or Wisey’s? Booey’s. I am not a Wisey’s person. I like the chicken wrap. It’s a wrap. It’s really good.