As the track season comes to an end, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to two senior athletes, Abbie Antil and Cameron Burns.

For Abbie Antil, some of her favorite memories came from the time spent with her teammates outside of competition.

Antil said, she enjoyed “doing the cookouts after practice with my teammates.”

Antil added, “It was always fun to sit around with them, eat, and mess around. It really brought out everyone’s personality, and it just made core memories in my head for me to remember for the future.”

Along with unforgettable memories, Antil said the season taught her important lessons about determination and mental strength.

She explained that track requires athletes to continue pushing themselves, even in difficult conditions.

“What I took away from the season is that you have to work hard, even if it’s hard, and it hurts,” Antil said. “In track, the most difficult hill to beat is our mentality toward the sport.”

Antil added that practices often continued through freezing rain or extreme heat, helping athletes learn persistence and perseverance.

For Burns, joining track first started because of encouragement from friends.

Burns said, “At first, it was friends doing it, then they encouraged me to keep going,” she said.

Having supportive teammates helped motivate her to stay involved in the sport and continue improving. Burns also shared who inspired her when she first joined the team. She looked up to Katie Biggs, another thrower on the team, because of the example she set for younger athletes.

When asked what advice they would give to underclassmen, both athletes emphasized perseverance and confidence.

Antil encouraged younger athletes to “push yourself past your limits because sometimes you don’t realize how good you are in a sport.”

Burns added that athletes should “keep going even if you don’t think you’re doing your best. These athletes both show their love for their group, track itself, and all the memories that came along with it! Great season everyone!”