a trend that the most publicized athletes are sometimes the ones who don’t stay long enough to graduate.

That’s what is so special about Minnesota cross country runner Felicitas Mensing .

The Neuhausen, Germany native graduated in three years from Coastal Carolina with a 4.0 in applied mathematics, and then…she came back to Minnesota to earn a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.

But after earning the Big South conference record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Mensing wasn’t ready to hang up her running shoes yet.

“I definitely wanted to compete. That was one of the reasons I came here,” Mensing said.

“Looking at the academic side, the [mechanical engineering] program is in the top 12 in the country, so that was a positive as well.”

Now in her first semester at Minnesota, Mensing splits her time between researching in the lab and competing with the women’s cross country team.

“I basically run back and forth between the two,” Mensing said. “I think there’s a good balance though, running keeps me from getting frustrated with homework. I go out and run and then come back and focus.”

The 24-year old runner, who wants to work in the automotive industry after graduating from the University, has impressed Gophers coach Gary Wilson with her talents on and off the course.

“She’s a very, very, very smart kid,” Wilson said.

“She’s just one of those steadying forces. She’s very mature; she’s been around the block.”

As part of the nation’s largest cross country team, Mensing’s position on the team wasn’t clear until she started consistently factoring into the Gophers team scores.

Mensing’s performances this season are at least partially due to her status with the Gophers according to assistant coach Sarah Hesser .

“At her old school, she was kind of relied upon to be the No. 1 runner and with that comes quite a bit of outside pressure,” Hesser said.

“Whereas here coming in, she got a little less pressure and just run the way she’s going to run and be our third, fourth, fifth, sixth runner.”

Mensing’s contribution this season is surprising to many including her.

“Actually, my goal for the season was to make the Big Ten team, so basically to be somewhere in the top ten [on the Gophers roster],” Mensing said. “I didn’t expect to run right up there with the girls – we’re so close in the top five. Any of us can be anywhere from about two to six.”

She did that and more. Two weeks later, Mensing finished 17th at the NCAA Midwest Region championships to help the Gophers retain their team title.

Next week, Mensing and the Gophers will compete at the NCAA championship, where the scholar-athlete said she looks for the team to continue its success.

“If we work together and run at the same pace, I think we can really do well.”