Michael Gerfen '23 Recruiting Profile

Track became a passion of mine when I was 13, and since then I've known that I wanted to compete in college and push myself to the highest level. Coming into my freshmen year as the only hurdler on my team besides a group of seniors, I was forced to learn quickly. Staying late after practice and applying myself became second nature, resulting in my qualification to the canceled 2020 NSAF Outdoor Nationals meet at the Freshman level. Coming into my sophomore year after Covid-19 hit, many teammates and coaches I had come to respect and rely on had moved on, but I refused to let that slow me down. While much of track and field was in the air during that time, I showed my coaches and teammates my tenacity and determination, which is something I’d like to show college coaches as well. 

Track and learning have always been hand in hand for me. Coming from a top public school in Massachusetts, I know to take academics seriously. My passion for track and field provides an important source of motivation that keeps me focused while in school and sparks interest in science through the technical elements of the sport. Conversely, my curiosity and interests in biology and science overall keeps me asking questions and involved in the many facets of the sport. Taking honors and AP level classes in high school has been a great way of challenging myself academically, and being an athlete has taught me to constantly work to beat the status quo and exceed standards of success. In college I’m looking to continue challenging myself studying STEM, likely majoring in an area of biology. 

Working with college coaches, with their talent and expert level knowledge, is an exhilarating idea to think about. The idea of being a freshman athlete again is very enticing as well. Partially because of the success I had in my freshman year of high school, but also because I got into track young, and spent most of my life as the greenie of the group. I even started going to camps for highschoolers after one year of middle school, and seeing all the talented athletes around me work so hard – and have so much grit – was inspiring. Being that guy at those camps taught me how to really work hard for something. I love being able to exceed people’s expectations. Working with college coaches, with their talent and expert level knowledge, creates the perfect environment for me to push myself to a higher level of execution and athletic ability. Recruiting me means recruiting somebody always excited for the next day of practice and always ready to continue challenging themself.