Athlete Bio
Amy Van Alstine
Native to New Jersey, Amy attended Midland Park High School prior to taking a southern route to the University of Richmond, where she earned a degee in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. While competing for the Spiders, Amy re-wrote the record books and still holds the school’s top all-time marks in the outdoor 1,500 (4:19.36), 3,000 (9:29.54) and 5,000 (16:06.15). She was also an NCAA Championship qualifier in cross country and was named the 2011 Atlantic 10 Athlete of the Year. Now training in Flagstaff with NAZ Elite, Amy had a breakout 2014, in which she was the USA Cross Country Champion, followed by a 3rd place finish at the USA 15k Championships. When Amy talks about the places she has lived, it is a nice look into her effervescent personality, "I have a love for New Jersey and will continue to defend it for the rest of my life! I also love Richmond and Flagstaff. I have pretty much fallen in love with everywhere I have lived and could see myself living multiple places...forever. Right now, Flagstaff is the perfect place for me to be though!"
Running for Amy came with the genes. Her father was the first to start, which led the way for Amy and her three siblings (a twin brother and two older sisters) to follow suit, all running in high school and college. On family records though, dad still holds the crown for most consecutive days running!
A supporter of the ASPCA and Beagle Freedom Project, Amy has a self-proclaimed obsession with dogs. She already has two Beagle/Russell Terrier mixes that she adopted upon her move to Flagstaff. On her obsession, Amy says, "Most people that know me, know I'm obsessed with dogs which is why I can't step foot in an animal shelter. I already have two, but would love to have them all!"
