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Nicole Ragucci Senior Profile
4/5/2012 8:00:00 AM | Track & Field, Athletics
DURHAM, N.C.- The Duke track and field squad is preparing for its biggest home meet of the season, the Duke Invitational, on April 6-7. Recently, GoDuke.com sat down with senior sprinter Nicole Ragucci to learn more about the Monroe Township, N.J., native.
GoDuke.com: Do you have any embarrassing music on your iPod?
Nicole Ragucci: I don't think I have any embarrassing music but if I let someone borrow my ipod and put it on shuffle then they will probably come across Andrea Bocelli and be kinda wierded out that it was on there. Not embarrassing but different.
GoDuke.com: What is your favorite movie?
NR: My go-to is 'Blue Crush' and any of my close friends would be able to tell you offhand that my go-to's are 'Mean Girls', 'She's the Man', 'Blue Crush' and 'Moulin Rouge'.
GoDuke.com: What is on your bucket list?
NR: It's so cheesy because it's not something that I want to do until I am way into the future and settled down but I want to have a really, really nice garden that I take care of by myself. And I am taking latin dance right now but I really wish that I was really good at it and could just go to a club and totally own the night.
GoDuke.com: Do you have any superstitions or pre-race rituals?
NR: Right before I am getting into the blocks, I usually do the sign of the cross and say a little prayer and just hope for the best.
GoDuke.com: What is the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome athletically?
NR: Pretty standard for a lot of athletes. I tore my ACL my sophomore year. Anyone who has torn their ACL knows how difficult it is to come back and how difficult it is to go to rehab every day, not being able to do something that is so second nature is extremely frustrating. Coming back from that, this year as a senior I feel back to normal and great. It's not an issue any more which is great to overcome.
GoDuke.com: What is your favorite home-cooked meal?
NR: My mom's lasagna. There is nothing better than my mom's lasagna in the world. Both my parents are Italian and even my Dad will say that my mom's lasagna is better than my great grandmother's.
GoDuke.com: Can you cook? If so, what are you good at making?
NR: Decently, I am not a chef but I can absolutely take care of myself and me and my roommate Brittany we cook for ourselves. Our other roommate, Kayla shows us up because she is like one level below a chef, but I can feed myself.
GoDuke.com: What has been your favorite class at Duke?
NR: I took a class last semester that is required for the cul anth (cultural anthropololgy) major called, fieldwork methods. You get to pick whatever you want to do and you go into the field for a certain amount of hours and learn about the culture of what you are studying. I chose to learn about senior homes and assisted living homes and I got to meet a woman who I became friends with on a very personal level and it was just something that was extremely fulfilling. It was for a class but in the end I felt like she could have been my own grandmother. That experience and the work that came out of, the paper that came out of it, is something that I will have for the rest of my life. The way the professor taught it was very good.
GoDuke.com: What has been your toughest class at Duke?
NR: Anything that has to do with math is tough. I am in this new class, Math Everywhere and it is way harder than it sounds.
GoDuke.com: Who has had the most impact on your life?
NR: My parents. My mom because she and I can talk about anything and I trust her opinion over anyone else's and my dad because he has been the most influential in my sport life. He was a runner, he was a coach, he loves track so much and I can tell that when I do well he is so proud of me. It's nice to know how much they care about me and how they show it.
GoDuke.com: Where do you like to study on campus?
NR: I go the library a lot, I go to the K center a lot. My sophomore year I lived in Few; Few tower is really pretty and if there are only a couple of people it's really nice. People usually respect the space and are quiet there. If anyone is looking for somewhere new I would definitely suggest that.
GoDuke.com: I wish I knew how to ______.
NR: Teleport. I hate traveling and I want to go so many places that require long traveling. I would love to just be there, that would be phenomenal. Someone needs to figure out how to do that.
GoDuke.com: What was your first car?
NR: a white Ford Taurus, we called it 'The Marshmallow', and I totaled it kinda quickly after I got my license. Then we got another car and it was disgusting; we called it 'Grandpa Gold'. You always have to start out with a piece of crap.
GoDuke.com: What is your favorite restaurant in Durham?
NR: That is so hard because Durham restaurants are so good. I think I most frequent Piazza Italia. I love it there and their gelatos are phenomenal.
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