Running is typically seen as a punishment for athletes. Senior Andrew Ellis, however, looks at the exercise much differently.

This is Ellis’s second year running varsity track and field. His usual races are the 800 meter sprints, the mile run, and the 4 x 400 meter relay. He has also recently taken on hurdles.

“Hurdles are the most fun because I like the taste of the track when I face plant,” Ellis said.

When Ellis came to JC he originally played lacrosse but quickly learned to enjoy track. “I actually like running despite the painful workouts. It is overall a good experience and the team is very close,” Ellis said.

Ellis admits that balancing both school and sports is challenging. “There were certain parts of high school where I was shaky because balancing did get difficult at times. It does help deal with stress though. The people on the team are very accepting and generally kind people,” Ellis said.

Although track is a serious sport, Ellis was able to meet some of his closest friends and have a great time during both meets and practices. “I just want to say that the guys on the team are probably the most accepting and fun-to-be-around group of people I’ve met at John Carroll,” Ellis said.