Gabriella Rooker
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
Nickname | Gabi |
| Born | October 9, 1987[1] |
| Home town | Minneapolis, Minnesota[1] |
| Education | Totino-Grace High School, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse[1] |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United States |
| Club | Mill City Running, Raev Endurance[1] |
| Coached by | Alex Rooker[1] |
Gabriella Rooker (born October 9, 1987, Gabriella Hooper) is an American long-distance runner. She has qualified for the 2024 US Olympic marathon trials. In 2024, she was inducted into the University of Wisconsin La Crosse wall of fame.[2]
Rooker was a gymnast through college at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and in 2008 the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference recognized Rooker for her academic achievement while being on the university's gymnastics team.[3] She has six Division III National Champion titles including vault (2007 and 2008), floor exercise (2010), and team (2008, 2009, 2010).[4]
Professional career
After college, Rooker started running with her husband, Alex. She had a breakout race at the 2019 Twin Cities 10 Mile in which she ran 62:06 and finished in ninth place.[5] She said she was inspired to become even more competitive after a friend ran an Olympic time qualifying race the same year at the Twin Cities Marathon.
Rooker ran a 2:24:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, finishing in 11th place. Afterward, Rooker said she felt like her life changed overnight and signed a contract with Nike after she realized there was mutual interest.[6] She had planned to run the 2023 Chicago Marathon in her Mill City Running racing kit, but found out that wasn't allowed until the Tuesday before the race; she was able to acquire a Nike race kit through friends before the race.
Rooker qualified for the 2024 US Olympic marathon trials by running a 2:24:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.[7] Among Minnesota athletes who competed at the 2024 trials, Rooker had the fastest qualifying time being five seconds faster than that of Dakotah Popehn.[8] Rooker finished in 19th place at the trials with a time of 2:31:25.[9]
Rooker is one of 120 women who are a part of Nike Project Dreamweaver, a program the company ran from September 2021 to February 2024 to provide coaching, sports psychology, physiology support from the Nike Sports Research Lab, and shoes to unsponsored female athletes seeking an Olympic qualifying time.[10][11][12]