Student, then athlete: the perspective of a Division III runner

My decision to become a Division III athlete was questioned nearly as much as my decision to pursue collegiate running instead of collegiate soccer. After summers of developmental recruiting camps at prestigious schools such as the University of Pennsylvania, playing on one of New Jersey’s top high-school ranked teams in the state, and devoting all four seasons to a single sport, my transition to running caught my parents, coaches, and friends off-guard. What was nearly as shocking was my decision to forgo athletic opportunities at Division I universities to pursue a degree at Muhlenberg College. Before making my commitment to running, I was wholeheartedly set on playing collegiate soccer at Bucknell or Penn. A few seasons later, I was disimpassioned with soccer, plagued with burnout and embracing my sophomore year track season. That fall of junior year, I quit four seasons of soccer to pursue three seasons of running.

Soon after, I seriously started to consider colleges to apply to. While I tried to consider schools solely on my dreams of becoming a doctor, I could not refrain from the schools on my final list being schools I saw myself both running and studying at. These schools consisted of both Division I and Division III schools, and I even met with coaches from Division I schools.

Running—unlike other collegiate sports—is unique in the sense that as a distance runner, there is no true “off season”, as there is cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring. Multiple times have I been described by my peers as “crazy” for these sorts of endeavors. At the Division I schools I was considering, I could not foresee how I would ever balance pre-med with three seasons of collegiate running. Other people may flourish in such an environment but I knew this would not be the right choice for me. I was unwilling to compromise being either the best student or an athlete, but I still wanted to be both in college. Furthermore, no matter what, my parents had a “golden rule” that I was solely allowed to take academic money. My parents never wanted me to feel obligated to pursue a sport in college for the sake of money; they wanted me to pursue a sport for the pure love and never for staying in school or paying for school. I would never be permitted to take an athletic scholarship, whether it be for running or soccer.

The NCAA Division III website describes how “Academics are the primary focus for Division III student-athletes”. At Muhlenberg, I thought I could be both the best student and best athlete in this type of environment, and accordingly I applied early decision. Truth be told, I could not be happier with my experience as a student-athlete here. Please do not misunderstand me, as I respect those who pursue athletics at the Division I level extensively, but I simply knew that was not the right decision for me. I do not entertain hopes of competing in the Olympics or professionally, but I do hope to obtain my dreams of being a successful family medicine doctor aided by the work ethic and lessons I have learned from my collegiate running career. There is a balance that has been difficult to maintain and I have shed tears trying to excel at both, but through this process at a Division III school, I feel as if I have worked to build a better version of myself.

I acknowledge there are trade offs at this level—I do not have an athletic scholarship, I do not have my own tutor for missing classes due to meets, I do not have a “Nike Christmas” with hundreds of dollars of free gear or the prestige of being a Division I athlete. My academics truly do come first here and I am able to pursue research, a major, a minor and compete in three seasons of collegiate running in addition to other campus activities. My coaches dutifully respect these commitments and never hesitate to allow me to miss practice for a lab, workshop or exam. I am happy to be known not solely as a runner or a student at Muhlenberg, but to have multiple roles on this campus due to the opportunities Division III athletics have awarded me. I am proud to be a student-athlete here at Muhlenberg and am proud to put my academics first.