Nicole Rheinlander

McNair Scholar/Honors College

During cross country in 2010, Nicole was in the team[apos]s top five the entire season. Nicole made big strides in the 5K in indoor track, improving her PR by 35 seconds to 17:57. Coach Rosenthal expects Rheinlander to be one of the top runners again this fall. She was selected to be a team captain again for 2011, where her leadership is expected to help the team continue its climb up the SEC rankings.

During cross country in 2009, Nicole was in the team[apos]s top seven the entire season. After redshirting indoor track, Nicole made big strides in the 5K in outdoor track, improving her PR by 32 seconds to 18:32. Coach Rosenthal expects Rheinlander to be one of the top runners this fall after a good summer of train¬ing in Michigan. She was selected to be a team captain for 2010, where her leadership is expected to help the team continue its climb up the SEC rankings.

Nicole is a world traveler, having traveled throughout North America, Europe, and Thailand. In high school she participated in a month-long student exchange program in Bad Neustadt, Germany. She has kept her love for travel in college, studying and traveling in Europe each summer. This summer after returning from a cruise in the Greek Isles, she had an internship in Greenville, SC working for KPMG, one of the Big 4 International Accounting Firms. Last summer she took a May semester course touring around Italy. The summer before, Nicole was in Germany for two months, where she studied at the University in Wittenberg and then taught English at a German elementary school. She also volunteers her time doing community service, where her efforts earned her a spot on the 2009 SEC All-Conference team, one of only eight SEC athletes.

Nicole joined the Gamecocks as a freshman with a passion for running and competing in cross country. In high school, she was an eight-letter varsity athlete, competing in swimming, cross country, and track. She was a member of the Cross Country League and Regional Championship Teams in 2006 and 2007. She was also on the 2006 Michigan Cross Country State Championship Team. She placed seventh individually for Cross Country Academic All-State in 2007 and was a three-time state qualifier on the 4×800 relay team. She was awarded the Cross Country Coach[apos]s Award her senior year. Nicole was a Scholar-Athlete and a member of the National Honor Society and the National Germany Honor Society. She was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year at her high school and received the Michigan Honor Girl Award. She also graduated as Valedictorian.