Sabrina Lin '21 Recruiting Profile

Ironically, my main sport going into high school was not track or cross country—I was a part of the field hockey team during the fall season for 2 years, as well as badminton for 1 year in the spring. I only did winter track during my freshman year, then decided to do spring track as well the following year because badminton season made me lose all my hard-earned speed/endurance. This is when I fell in love with running; The family-like atmosphere, as well as the nice spring weather and high-energy competitions, was addicting. During the final meet of the season, sophomore year, I ran the 1500 and got a new PR—coming in a second after the top senior on our team. After that race, my coach pulled me aside and gave me an unforgettable talk. He told me how proud he was to watch me grow so much in a short amount of time and how he didn't NEED me for cross country but wanted me. I felt conflicted because I loved field hockey; I was a Varsity starter my second year of playing, even though I had never played before that. I walked back to the bleachers where my team was waiting for me and hyped me up for breaking my PR. I felt such a sense of community and love at that moment that I told them: "I'm joining cross country!" I wanted to experience more of what running had to offer. It wasn't just running around in circles, it wasn't just an individual sport, it wasn't just something to get exercise—it was my sanity, it was my family, it was home. I know that sounds cliche but I truly mean it.

Telling my field hockey coach got pretty ugly. She was extremely angry and at some point even said that I could never get a track scholarship so why even bother. She said the track team was nothing like the field hockey family. I loved that team, but the lack of support for my decision further showed that I had made the right choice. Looking back, I have no regrets.

Wherever I go in the future, I am fully committed to giving my all to the team. Throughout my high school career, my grades have steadily increased. Developing better study habits and learning self-control was a big part of that process—and track helped develop that. Time management is important for any sport, but the mental game for middle to long-distance running formulated my driven and ambitious mindset. I want the opportunity to experience collegiate level racing and team comradery along with quality education. I feel like my times would be a good fit for most D3 colleges, especially with the potential PR's I'm hoping to hit during my senior year.