Where are they now? Catching up with former State College track and field star Casie Eifrig
Editor’s note: The Centre Daily Times plans a recurring Q&A series to catch up with homegrown athletes. To share ideas about who we should feature, email cdtscores@centredaily.com.
While the track and field team and her studies at Amherst College in Massachusetts keep Casie Eifrig busy, the former State College distance runner still keeps tabs on her alma mater and former teammates.
Eifrig, who also played soccer in State College, recently competed in the Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on March 11-12. Eifrig and her team placed 10th in the 4x400 with a time of 3:54.57.
She recently spoke to the Centre Daily Times about what she’s been up to since graduating from State College Area High School last year.
CDT: What’s it been like to get into the meat of your college career so far? I know as a freshman, especially in track and field and cross-country, it’s always a really interesting experience.
CE: I think because the sport is pretty much all year-round, it was really immersive from the get-go and it was honestly a good thing because it got me really involved with my teammates and it got me in a really good place to have kind of a basis of a support group before starting school. If I didn’t have the team that I have, especially coming in as a freshman, it would have been a little bit more difficult to navigate these new experiences. So, having that like group from the get-go, was especially good, I think. It was one of the most important things so far that was a part of my college experience. It really helped me get going.
CDT: How did you choose Amherst?
CE: Yeah, interesting question, I think coming from State College, there were so many of my friends that just went straight to Penn State. I really wanted to kind of get away from that and find some new territory. I was thinking a lot about the schools in New England and just like location-wise. I like the distance from home and I loved the New England area and the school itself. I just kind of got in contact with a coach and especially where COVID-19 was, it was kind of the turning point for it. I just said, ‘Yeah, this is the place for me’ and I’m so glad that I did chose it.
CDT: What were the changes of going from having to deal with COVID-19 and then the lifting of the restrictions as time went forward?
CE: Coming into an atmosphere where we were all in the same boat and knew what it was like to work and train, it was really, really nice. I think after dealing with all of the solitude and trying to motivate yourself, it was definitely a necessary change. I think coming to school with COVID is a super bizarre experience. It’s not over yet. Unfortunately, you’re kind of in this bubble, especially at a small school. It was definitely necessary for me to come. And that new environment where we were all each other’s support systems and we had each other to work with and train with. I think it’s like running track. Motivating yourself off alone gets pretty difficult after a year and half, so it was definitely a positive.
CDT: Have you selected a major yet?
CE: Yeah, I’m going to go into architectural studies. So there’s a new program that they started in 2018 that I’m really excited about and especially since it has an open curriculum. So, I don’t actually have to follow certain course paths until I declare my major. Right now, I’m still kind of looking around and exploring the humanities and the other kinds of possible majors. But I’m pretty stuck with the architectural program. I think the option of having the choice to kind of go around classes and explore the different fields is super important to me as a student.
CDT: So, what was your experience like at State High? The school produces a lot of track and field and cross-country athletes on a yearly basis. I mean, does that kind of help you and your development of running?
CE: I love my teammates there. I love the coaches. They’re in such a nurturing environment and I think because they do produce such great elite athletes at this level. I mean, I keep looking back at, like, some of my teammates who are still at State High. It’s just incredible to watch their progress and watch them grow. But because of the commitment that we all had, we knew how dedicated the program was. It kind of motivated us to kind of fulfill our impressive reputation that they had. So we knew what our team was and how we could kind of move it forward it into a stronger team. We had such strong athletes and being surrounded by such strong athletes was really just a motivator. I’m so happy that I was able to grow up and experience a competitive environment for coming into the college scene because it really translated.
CDT: Who on State College’s current team has impressed you a lot since you’ve left?
CE: I mean right now, my former teammates on the women’s side have been absolutely killing it. I’ve been watching their progress all these years. I have say it’s been super inspiring, especially because they’re pretty young girls. The underclassmen are stepping up to the plate after a lot of really strong girls graduated last year. So, that’s been really inspiring also on the men’s side and that 4x8, they’ve been killing it. So, watching them kind of grow and again, they’re young talents. So, I’m excited to watch them grow into the future.
CDT: What inspires you on a day-to-day basis to continue to keep pushing in a sport that’s so tough? I mean, I’ve watched it from close-up too because I was a track and field athlete when I was in college and I threw shot put and just admired some of the things that the long-distance runners did. How are you inspired everyday just to continue to keep it in and fight through all of the pains of running?
CE: I think knowing that I’m doing the sport for myself. I’m doing it to improve myself and strengthen my own physical and mental state. So, I think knowing that I’m doing this for nobody else other than myself is something that’s really inspiring to me because my motivation comes from within but also because track and field is such an individual sport. I know that I still have the people around me to motivate me as well. So, I definitely could not be doing it alone. I have a really strong support system at school, like my teammates. My family is my biggest support system. Knowing that I have the support from outside has been helpful, but also knowing that the whole thing is coming from and that I don’t have to be doing it. I’ve obviously decided to and I obviously do love it and I do enjoy it. So, without that love for it, I really couldn’t be where I am. Having support from the outside is crucial, but knowing that you’re doing it for yourself has been pivotal for my love for the sport.
