Linfield University Athletics

SOPHOMORE
Letterwinner.
 
FRESHMAN
Letterwinner.
NWC Scholar-Athlete.
Ran a 23:02.7 in the 6K Linfield Harrier Classic on Sept. 3.
Had a season-best 8K time of 30:27.0 at Western Oregon’s Mike Johnson Classic on Sept. 24.
Placed 72^nd at the NWC Championships on Oct. 30 in 30:34.7.
 
UNIVERSITY LABORATORY SCHOOL
Five-time letterwinner in cross country and track and field.
Team captain.
Two-time participant of the HHSAA cross country state championships.
Personal best time of 5:03.24 in the 1500m, 10:26.87 in the 3000m and 17:18.3 in the 5000m.
 
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Majoring in environmental science.
Son of Hiroko and John Szostak.
Also competes in track and field at Linfield.
 
WHY LINFIELD? I chose Linfield because it had a good balance of the things I was interested in and at an affordable cost. Out of the few schools I was able to visit, Linfield left the largest impression on me.
 
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A STUDENT-ATHLETE AT LINFIELD? Being a student-athlete means I can represent the school in more than just my enrollment. It also allows me to make more connections and get adjusted to college life better.
 
WHAT MAKES YOU INTERESTING AS A STUDENT-ATHLETE? I tend to look at my sports in a more team-based way. Although running seems kind of like a solo sport at first, I think teamwork plays into it just as much as it would with a more conventional sport.
 
WHAT IS NEXT AFTER LINFIELD? I'm leaning toward a career in environmental science, but I'm still not 100 percent sure yet. Thankfully at Linfield, I'm not required to choose a major immediately, so I can explore different options I might be interested in.
 
WHAT'S THE BEST LINFIELD CLASS YOU’VE TAKEN AND WHY?
I enjoyed Forest Ecology, a course focused on the ecology of the Pacific Northwest, specifically its forests. It covered a lot of topics including fire ecology and identification of local plant species and included a three-day trip to southern Oregon and northern California. It was a very engaging class that helped me better understand the ecology of Oregon which is very different from my home in Hawai'i.
 
WHO HAS BEEN THE GREATEST INSPIRATION IN YOUR LIFE?
In terms of athletics, I would say my greatest inspiration(s) are my fellow teammates. While running sports may seem pretty focused on the individual at first, teamwork is a huge part of the sport, and I would say as a team we are constantly striving and pushing each other to improve and drive ourselves further - seeing my teammates reaching for and attaining their goals inspires me to reach my own goals in turn.
 
AS A LINFIELD STUDENT-ATHLETE, MY GOALS INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY FOR MY TEAM ARE...
My individual and collective goals are pretty related to each other: as an individual I would like to make it to a regional-level meet, and as a collective I think it would be good to aim for have enough runners (5) to make a scoring team at regionals.