NC State's Tibor Vegh is the model of the term "student-athlete". After transferring from Northern Iowa, Vegh has made himself at home in Raleigh. A breakout season in 2006 led to All-ACC honors after finishing fifth overall at the conference championships. Vegh is also an academic star, holding a 4.0 grade point average in economics and mathematics. Yet for the senior from Hungary, it's "just what he does".
When did you start running competitively?
I started back in 2001 in my home country of Hungary.
What got you into running?
I had been doing other sports, like triathlon, but running was always my favorite and best event. (When I was younger), my mom sent me to swim class - I don't even remember when that was. I've had at least one practice a day for the last, I don't know, 20 years or so. I didn't have time to get into it, I just started going to practice one day and I never stopped.
Is there something in particular that draws you to running?
In general, I just love doing sports and I can't see myself not doing a sport. Running is what I do the best among all sports, so I guess just the love for doing a sport and my drive to improve - the combination of liking it a lot and being good at it.
What would you consider your greatest accomplishment as an athlete?
I would say my ninth-place finish in the World University Games 5,000-meter this past summer is my best result so far.
What other races have you competed in?
There is a club that I'm running for in Hungary. I was home this past summer and I ran in the Hungarian National Championship. I also represent my country in different international meets, like the European Cup and World University Games.
Is there something in particular you still hope to accomplish?
Oh definitely. Again, I just started running in 2001, so I'm kind of young in this sport. I have not at all reached my potential. I'm not saying this because I'm trying to motivate myself, but I know that there's so much ground for me to make up for, a lot of room to improve. One of my goals is to make it to the Olympics and do well. If I'm in a good race, I want to do well. I don't want to just be there.
What is it like competing with one of the top teams in a conference like the ACC?
This is a hard conference. It's hard to do well, but if you can do well in a hard conference, you're in better shape than if you win in a conference that's not as strong as the ACC. I think my team and I are happy that we can do well in such a strong conference and it gives us confidence. We won the cross country championship last year, which gave us a lot of confidence.
Any thoughts going into this weekend's championships?
We have three races left for this season (the ACC championship, NCAA Regionals, and the NCAA Championship) and for many of us, these three races are our last as collegiate runners. The ACC championship is the first step, and we would like to repeat the success we had last year.
What is the best advice you've ever received?
As far as running, just to be patient.
What is your most memorable moment in sports?
There's so many, I don't think I can name just one. I like watching the Olympic games, the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, or the cross country world championships, the Tour de France - I just love to watch any high-level individual sporting event no matter what the outcome is. It's competitive and I just want to see people do well.
Why did you choose NC State?
I chose NC State because of the setting, first of all, because of (the state of) North Carolina and the reputation of the school as far as academics. I'm an economics major and the econ department here is great. Last, but not least at all, because of the team. I knew that the team was an excellent team, both in cross country and track, and I wanted to improve. If you look at the results, I have improved a great deal thanks to Coach Geiger and the staff here. I wanted to improve in both academics and athletics.
Can you talk about your experiences going to school in a foreign country so far away from home?
I've come to realize that this is not my home away from home anymore. When I'm here, this is my home, and when I'm in Hungary, that's my home. This is my home right now. In the first couple years, it was harder, but I've gotten used to it. I've learned a lot about the American mentality - how you've got to be patient, persistent, and hard-working. I can't say that I had that before I came here. I learned a lot from the guys on the team and from Coach. I would say it's just a mentality that was different.
Had you ever visited America before coming to college here?
When I went to Northern Iowa (freshman year), that was my first time in America. I didn't know at all what to expect, but I'm always up for challenges and the unknown.
How do you balance the demands of the classroom with the demands of competition while maintaining a 4.0 GPA?
I've never felt like I was balancing anything. I like to learn and I like to train, so there's no balancing involved. I personally would not do anything - or most things - that I don't like to do. I like studying and learning things, and I like training. I do some other things too, like fixing bicycles, fishing, and hunting. We've got 24 hours in a day, so most people would have time to do more. This is what I've been doing for a long time, I'm efficient at it, and I just do it.
Do you have plans yet for after graduation?
I am graduating in May, and have two plans. One is academics, and one is athletics. As far as academics, which is very important to me, I'm applying for the NC State graduate program in Forestry Economics and I will start either a master's or Ph.D. I will also continue training in Raleigh, hopefully with the team, but I would like to represent my country in international meets, both in Europe and in the world.
|
What other races have you competed in?
I competed in the 2005 USA Junior Cross Country Championships and also represented the USA in the North America, South America, and Caribbean Cross Country Championships (NACAC), (where we won the title).
