Erin Gregoire is a senior on the Columbia Track & Field team, competing in the distance events. The
2019 Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Track & Field Championships take place Saturday-Sunday, May 4-5, at Princeton’s Weaver Track.
IvyLeague.com: At its core, the League is much more than a sports conference. How have you seen that during your time as a student-athlete?
Erin: One aspect I love about being a student-athlete in the Ivy League is the fact that everyone is here on their own accord. No one is on scholarship, but rather everyone found the value in getting a great education along with continuing their athletic careers. I find that this creates a highly competitive environment because everyone is coming from a similar place in motivation and priorities. To me, this makes the Ivy League that much more exciting and special.
IvyLeague.com: You are constantly juggling many different aspects of your life. How do you thrive across all of the different tasks you are asked to do without letting anything fall?
Erin: Something I quickly came to understand my freshman year at Columbia is that if you care to be successful in the Ivy League as a student and as an athlete, you have to value your sleep and you have to plan ahead. It’s never easy to maintain a full coursework, work a part-time job, dedicate the necessary mental and physical time and energy to the sport, and appreciate the social life you are presented with in college. If you become bogged down with one aspect, it’s easy to let the others fall through the cracks. In order to properly juggle each aspect in your life, I find the best way is to prioritize what’s most important, plan ahead, and not procrastinate.
IvyLeague.com: A common afterthought of the League is how much athletic success it enjoys each year. How competitive is your program and sport, not only in the League, but also nationally?
Erin: In cross country this year, our women’s team placed 18th at NCAAs, 10 places higher than we finished the previous year. Going into the cross country season this year, we trained with the goal of peaking at the national meet and after the season was over, we began to discuss in what ways we can be better for next year. I think all of this is a testament to where our priorities lie as a team on the national level. Last year, we raised the bar to be present at the national level and this year we raised it further to not just be present, but to be competitive, at the national level. I think going into the 2018-19 indoor and outdoor seasons, we are riding a lot of that positive and competitive momentum from cross country. Our team is more well-rounded than ever before, covering every event group. As we gain a better and more established foundation as a track and field program, we hope to present ourselves and compete not just at the Ivy League level, but at the national level, just as we did in cross country.