The Plattsburgh State track and field team is not only comprised of athletes but also dedicated students who constantly want to excel, which leaves the Cardinals no with time to spare.
With track, academics and everything else a college athlete experiences, all the Cards are busy, but they find ways to make sure they always excel at whatever they do.
“It’s all about time management,” senior Kelly Siry said. “There’s been so many times I’ve been made fun of because I’ll be sitting at an event waiting for my meet, and I’m on the bench doing homework and studying. Everyone calls me a nerd, but this is the only time I have to get it done.”
Sophomore Ibukun Charles said there is not much time to balance everything she does but remains dedicated to accomplish all her goals.
“It’s hard because I do a lot,” Charles said. “I work, and I’m a part of clubs, so it’s very difficult to balance them all, but because I’m so passionate about everything, I make it work.”
While all the Cards have busy schedules, they still managed to succeed in their latest meets.
Athletes competed at the Connecticut College Silfen Invitational last Friday and the RPI Upstate classic Saturday.
In Connecticut, three Cards competed on the men’s side.
Junior Ethan Vinson and freshmen Matthew Jenkins and Jeriqho Gadway participated in the 1,500-meter run. Vinson captured an ECAC qualifying time, while Jenkins and Gadway secured SUNYAC qualifying marks.
For the women’s team, junior Lauren Perschetz was the only Card to race at the meet.
Perschetz won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:22.00, which was a personal best and an ECAC qualifying mark, and she said she exceeded her expectations.
“I’m really proud,” Perschetz said. “I went in hoping to run around 11:30, but I ran even faster than that.”
As the weekend continued, the rest of PSUC competed in Troy, New York, in the RPI classic.
The relay team of seniors Christen Averill and Megan Schweizer, sophomore Lindsey Davenport and freshman Andrea Cortina paced the women’s team with their first place finish in the 800-meter relay.
In other events, Charles took fourth place in the 200-meter dash, sophomore Hannah Despres and Davenport picked up a SUNYAC qualifying time in the 1,500-meter run and Siry placed third in the 400-meter hurdles and eighth in the javelin throw.
In field events, sophomore Heather Chapman tallied a SUNYAC qualifying mark in discus, finishing second with a distance of 36.92 meters.
For the men’s team, the highlight of the meet was two top-10 finishes in the 800-meter run. The junior duo of Kyle Jones and Ethan Vinson shined for the Cards. Vinson finished in first place with a time of 1:56.77, and Jones finished with a time of 2:01.64.
As the season enters its final stretch, the Cards will head to Albany to compete in the University of Albany Spring Classic. PSUC believes its all-around team chemistry has helped lead to success this season, and the senior leadership has played a key role, which all the team is thankful for.
“The seniors have been great role models and shown us how a leader is supposed to be,” Perschetz said. “They’ve paved the way really well for me and the other juniors this year coming into the senior position. They’ve shown us how to speak out if someone’s doing something incorrectly and how to just be a good leader for the team.”
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