Cal U athletics is recognizing senior student-athletes virtually as a way to celebrate the seniors that were unable to have their traditional recognition this spring.

ALICIA COLLIER
• Event: Sprints
• Hometown: Media, Pa.
• High School: Penncrest
• Parents: Rick Collier and Donna Smith
• Major: Psychology

What are you taking away from this unique situation?
This situation has definitely taught me that you can never take things for granted. Honestly, track & field is not something I ever thought I took for granted, but being put in this situation has made me find a newfound love for the sport that has been with me for almost half of my life. It has made me realize how lucky I am to have been a part of the programs that I have encountered and how different my life would be without this sport and the people I have met because of it.

What was your favorite college experience outside of athletics?
My favorite college experience outside of athletics was when I switched my major from biology to psychology and started to love what I was learning. I switched majors after being in school for 1.5 years because I wasn’t happy with what I was doing. Although I made the switch so late in my academic career, I am still able to graduate without being behind a semester. I have been able to take such a wide variety of classes throughout my major and a couple of other academic areas and it has helped me become more curious and intrigued with the field of psychology and its relation to athletics, hence my desire to become a sports psychologist.

What will you miss most about Cal U Track & Field?
I will miss getting to see my teammates every day and getting to train with some of the best coaches in the country. Competing for Cal U, cheering for my teammates, winning conference titles and traveling will all be equally missed as well. Although I will always be a part of the Cal U track & field family, being with them in person will be something that will always be missed. Struggling through hard workouts all preseason, cracking jokes in the middle of practice, or on the bus going to meets, talking about how sore we are after an intense testing day in lifting, these are memories and experiences we will always be able to share together and things that will always be missed.

What was the best part of being a student-athlete at Cal U?
The best part about being a student-athlete is being a part of something bigger than me. Being able to travel and wear Cal U across my chest has been an experience that has been more than I could have asked for. The memories I have gained from being a student-athlete at the best school in the conference are memories I will cherish forever.

CALEB FOSTER
• Event: Mid-Distance
• Hometown: Crofton, Md.
• High School: South River
• Parents: Calvin and Nicole Foster
• Major: Art (Secondary Education)

Why did you choose to become a Vulcan?
I chose to become a Vulcan because even on my first visit here I could tell the team operates differently from the other teams I had seen in a way that was effective where people all wanted to do what was best for them and for each other.

What advice would you give to incoming freshmen about college athletics?
College athletics is more about synergy as a team than it is about individual achievement. The sooner you allow yourself to open up to your teammates and truly care for one another, the sooner you will reach your individual goals and surpass them.

What was your favorite college experience outside of athletics?
My favorite experience was being able to go on a field trip to New York City for my sculpture studio class. It was all paid for and we got to visit nearly all the art museums in the city.

What will you miss most about Cal U Track & Field?
While I’d say my favorite part of track & field is competition, it won’t be what I miss most. The things I will miss the most is being surrounded by such motivating and caring people on the team, as well as the coaches. They’ve all made big impacts on my life and I will cherish those memories for the rest of my life.

BRETT GEORGE
• Event: Mid-Distance
• Hometown: Altoona, Pa.
• High School: Altoona
• Parents: Joey and Michele George
• Major: Computer Science

What will you miss most about Cal U Track & Field?
I will miss the coaches and teammates the most. I have a very good relationship with my coaches and I can’t say thank you enough for how they’ve helped me.

What advice would you give to incoming freshmen about college athletics?
Be aware of yourself and your long-term plans. A sense of direction will take you a long way. I spent a lot of days wandering around aimlessly in my head and that made it hard to get things done at times.

What was your favorite college experience outside of athletics?
My favorite experience was hanging out at Underground Cafe while laughing hysterically with friends.

What was your proudest athletic achievement at Cal U?
My proudest achievement was my summer of training in 2017. I did not miss a single day of running and that resulted in a great cross country conference meet.

JULIAN GORE
• Event: Hurdles
• Hometown: Petersburg, Va.
• High School: Altoona (Pa.)
• Parents: Evangalistia and Kristi Scott
• Major: Criminal Justice (Law and Justice)

What will you miss most about Cal U Track & Field?
All the friendships and experiences, as well as the impact I have on others and vice versa.

What was the best part of being a student-athlete at Cal U?
Always having something to do, plenty of people knowing who you are and not being bored.

What was your favorite college experience outside of athletics?
Bringing my motorcycle to campus.

What advice would you give to incoming freshmen about college athletics?
My advice I would give to incoming freshmen is to be yourself. Have fun, don’t be hard on yourself and remember schoolwork comes first.

ABIGAIL LAKE
• Event: Hurdles
• Hometown: Irwin, Pa.
• High School: Penn-Trafford
• Parents: David and Leanna Lake
• Major: Elementary Education (PreK-4)

What was your favorite college experience outside of athletics?
I would say finally finding something I am passionate about. Going into college and even in my first year, I was unable to decide what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Through different experiences and the support of everyone, I was finally able to choose a major that I love which is Early Childhood Education.

What was your proudest athletic achievement at Cal U?
I would say my proudest athletic achievement was when I made it to the PSAC Championships my freshman year. I came in as a walk-on and had no thought that I would be good enough to make it to our conference meet. I think that each year I surprised myself in a different way and I think that is something I am proud of.

Why did you choose to become a Vulcan?
I chose to become a Vulcan because it felt like home. When I was on campus, in class and at practice, I felt like I was where I was supposed to be.

What was the best part of being a student-athlete at Cal U?
I think the best part of being a student-athlete is knowing that so many people have your back. Everyone looks out for you, and not just on the track. I knew that people were there for me academically, mentally, physically and emotionally. I always knew I could talk to someone and that they would be there for me. We had created a family.

ERIN MECKLER
• Event: Jumps
• Hometown: Boiling Springs, Pa.
• High School: Cumberland Valley
• Parents: Daniel and Holly Meckler
• Major: Secondary Education (English)

What are you taking away from this unique situation?
What I can take away from this situation is that you can never cherish moments too much. I am learning more than ever to live each moment as though it is your last. As cliché as it may be, nothing is promised. I will greatly miss my time as a Cal U student-athlete. For those of you who continue on, enjoy it while it lasts. It will be over before you know it.

What advice would you give to incoming freshmen about college athletics?
To be a student-athlete is really a privilege. You will get out of it what you put into it. Though it will tough with long and intense days of training, you will become accustomed to a work ethic and a drive that will prepare you for life. Athletics equipped me with resources to become the best me on and off the field. I came out on the other side with many skills: time management, teamwork, handling pressure and expectations, commitment, working toward goals and pushing to fight for something bigger than yourself. It can be the best four year of your life, if you want it enough. Outside of the goals I have accomplished and the killer workouts I have completed, I now have teammates that will be forever friends.

What was your proudest athletic achievement at Cal U?
I am most proud of my qualifying marks for the PSAC Championships every year that I have been on the team. More specifically, I am proud of my third-place finish at PSACs in the high jump [2018 outdoor].

Why did you choose to become a Vulcan?
It was important to me to have a team that was not only going to be competitive, but that cared about me as a person beyond just an athlete. The student-athletes, coaching staff and everyone behind athletics at Cal U really are a family. I felt instantly welcomed on my first visit and it was then that I knew I could not look anywhere else. I found my home. I was always going to be a Vulcan.

KYLE TUMPAK
• Event: Mid-Distance
• Hometown: Greenville, Pa.
• High School: Greenville
• Parents: Michael and Tracey Tumpak
• Major: Business Administration (Marketing)

What was your favorite college experience outside of athletics?
In one of my classes, my professor had us do a project for starting a non-profit organization. The way he instructed us to do the project was interesting and it felt so real, like we were actually making a company.

What advice would you give to incoming freshmen about college athletics?
Listen to your coaches, put in the work and it’ll all be worth it.

Why did you choose to become a Vulcan?
One of my high school teammates went to Cal U and talked to the head coach at my district meet. I called him within a few days, came on a visit and loved it.

What was your favorite moment as a student-athlete at Cal U?
There are so many, but my favorite memory would be being the first men’s team from Cal U to win the DMR at the 2019 PSAC Indoor Conference Meet.

JOE ULIANO
• Event: Distance
• Hometown: Altoona, Pa.
• High School: Altoona
• Parent: Shawna Osmolinski
• Major: Communication Studies (Radio and TV)

What will you miss most about Cal U Track & Field?
I will miss the team aspect. All other PSAC schools have teams, but I believe at Cal U it is more of a family. Seeing the team transform so much from my freshman to senior year has made me feel like I was a large part of the process. I always felt like I had a role to play whether that be someone tell a few jokes or to provide insight into a specific topic. There is something special about the way the team at Cal U operates and I am sad to be leaving such a good group of people.

What advice would you give to incoming freshmen about college athletics?
Forget about high school. I have seen state champions run incredibly slower than they ever did in high school and I have seen ‘nobodies’ win PSAC titles. College athletics is an entirely different entity than high school. Don’t waste your time if you are not going to commit yourself to the sport. It is expected that you give it your all and if you do good things will come. You just have to trust in the process, follow what your coach tells you and realize you have so much more to give than you think you can.

What was your favorite college experience outside of athletics?
One of my favorite college experiences outside of athletics was making this short film called “The Ring” for my Perspectives on Communication class. We did this sort of horror spoof that is quite comical, if I do say so myself. I was the main ‘boyfriend love interest’ and really stole the show with my ’70s mullet wig. I made a lot of close friends through that experience.

What has been your favorite moment as a student-athlete at Cal U?
I really enjoyed receiving the Cal U SAAC Scholar-Athlete Award my junior year. I made sure to work just as hard in the classroom as I did in running. I had to make a lot of sacrifices in order to succeed in both running and in school. It was always a challenge balancing the two, so when I received the award I knew I had been successful in my endeavor. That’s kind of what let me know I was doing something right.