I had the opportunity to sit down with freshman Mikayla Riccio, who’s also from the track and field team. I started off by asking her how the season’s been so far. Riccio said, “It’s been good. It’s been fun. I had a little bit of a late start because of shin splints, so I’ve been working through that, but it’s been fun.”
I followed that up by asking about the state of the team this year, to which she said, “It’s been a lot better than in the past. We’re definitely building a bigger team. Before it was cross country and track, and now it’s kind of all together.”
“I think Caleb Payne works really hard,” answered Riccio when I asked about other standouts on the team. “He’s already set some records. He’s a great sprinter. Hurdles: Ambria [Mack]. She’s also a great team player in the 4×200 [meter relay].”
“Two PRs [personal records], two school records,” said Riccio when I asked her why she thought she was named athlete of the week. “That’s probably what earned it. I guess to me it’s someone who stands out for their work or the effort that they’ve put in shows, and so that stands out.”
Next, I asked her about her goals for the season. Riccio responded, “This indoor season is really short and a good springboard for the outdoor, so it’ll be fun to see the difference between indoor to outdoor to see how much we can grow.”
Lastly, I asked what she’d want to say to the rest of the Asbury student body, to which she simply answered, “Don’t write track off as a sport.”
Photo courtesy of AU Athletics.
