Bulldog Athletics
What’s it like to be a sTUDENT-athlete at the University of Redlands? Three athletes talk about their day-to-day lives as students, competitors, and teammates
Alexis Wallace ’22 math major cross-country and track Team Member
By Lilledeshan Bose ’22 Photography by Carlos Puma
A ‘super-welcoming’ team “I made my decision to come to Redlands after an overnight visit with the track team. Being a student-athlete was nice because I had my instant group of friends. All cross-country runners are superwelcoming and inviting. I mean, who likes to run? Not many people. You’ve got to be a little crazy to enjoy running—so you’re constantly surrounded by those people. We love hanging out together, and we always have a good time. There’s no drama anytime on our team.”
Balancing sports, school, work “In August, preseason, we get up to run at 7 a.m., before it gets too hot outside. Afterward, we maybe lay by the pool, eat with friends. Then we go for a second run—another six miles—later in the day. During track season, we have practice at 7 a.m. We run for 12 miles. Then I go to class: 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and then 1 p.m. Then we have practice again at 4 p.m.—we either lift weights or run 3 miles. It’s demanding, but it’s fun with all my friends. It’s hard to balance sports, school, and work, but I’ve managed it the last four years. The small class sizes at Redlands help me a lot academically, and I enjoy the one-on-one instruction. It also helps that I always have my coaches’ support; it’s easy to go in and talk to them.”
Finding answers “In my freshman year, I took a May Term course in math called Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos. I was the only first-year in class with juniors and seniors. It was intimidating. By the end of the class, my professor told me I was top in the class. It was rewarding to hear. That’s when I thought, “Maybe I should be a math major.” I really enjoy math because there’s always an answer. Whenever you’re in English class and write an essay, one professor may love that essay and one professor may hate it. In math, it’s either right or wrong, and there’s no discussion about it.” 14
OCH TAMALE FALL 2021
