In a year in which the Binghamton women's distance program has climbed to new heights, senior Carolyn Burnell has mirrored that improvement. After three years of hard work and dedication, she broke through with a third-place finish in the 3,000 steeplechase at the 2022 America East Outdoor Track & Field Championships. This past weekend, she placed a career-best 20th overall and was the Bearcats' fourth runner as they took runner-up team honors at the conference cross country meet. While Burnell continues to progress in track and cross country, she has maintained impressive marks in the classroom and has been an E-Board member of the Binghamton Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) as well as several other activities.

In this interview, Burnell reflects on how she got into running, how she has balanced academic and athletics at Binghamton and what have been the keys to her improvement. 

Why did you choose to come to Binghamton?

The first time I visited Binghamton, I came along to visit with my mom and older brother because he was looking at the school. I visited during the fall and really fell in love with the campus on the tour. When I was a senior in high school, I was in contact with my coach, Annette Acuff, and my former assistant coach, Pat Murray. I really liked the idea of going to a school that was not far from home, that I would have family at, that I could run at and of course and has one of the best public engineering programs in the state. 

What got you into running?

I competitively danced from a very young age so I wasn't really into sports. When I was going into middle school, my mom thought it would be a good idea for me to get involved more at my school and we knew the coach for the cross country team. I ended up having a different coach going into it, but I still decided to try it out. The first invitational I ran at in seventh grade had around 200 runners in the race, and I came in third place. My parents and coach realized I could be competitive in the sport so I got more excited to improve moving forward.

What motivates you?

I am motivated by this sport itself because you can clearly see improvements in times, even if it is by seconds. It is motivating to work towards improvement in workouts or in races. I am also motivated by my family, coaches and teammates because they have done so much for me to get where I am today. I want to make them proud of me for trying my hardest. Another thing that motivates me is the fact that I don't have to run, I get to run.

How would your friends describe you?

Some words that my friends would use to describe me are supportive, determined, genuine, motivated, funny and compassionate!

What has been your favorite class at Binghamton and why?

My favorite class at Binghamton so far would be BME 340 Bioinformatics and Biostatistics. I loved this class because it was so different from all of the BME courses I had previously taken. It covered the basic methods utilized to statistically analyze and present biological data using the R programming language. I feel like everything we learned in this class is relevant to statistical analysis in research and in real life.

What activities are you involved in outside of running?

Outside of running, I am an E-board member for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). I am a tutor for other student-athletes, I work at the ITS Help Desk  and I am a TA for EDD 103 and 104, which are freshman engineering courses. I am also an undergraduate researcher for one of my professors. I study cancer cell lipid droplet dynamics with the treatment of free fatty acids using stimulated Raman scattering microscopy. This year, I will also be completing my senior design project, in which my team and I will build a live-cell imaging chamber.

What's the key to your continuous improvement?

My continuous improvement is fueled by doing my best to stay healthy. Getting enough sleep, eating enough and treating any injuries is crucial. I also try to improve by setting goals, but not by putting too much pressure on myself. Having an optimistic attitude and a growth mindset is also really important to improving in running, since the mental component is equally or arguably more important than the physical component.

What's your proudest accomplishment?
One of my proudest accomplishments would have to be running a marathon at age 16. I am really proud of this because it is one of the hardest mental and physical challenges that an athlete can complete. I was in the middle of my cross country season and hadn't really trained for it, so looking back it probably wasn't the best idea. Three of my teammates and I decided to do it after doing our second Ragnar Relay and I was very excited for it. It was a lot of fun until around mile 20, then it got very difficult. The last mile was so hard that I wanted to walk the rest, but my coach reminded me it was only one more mile and I could do it. I am still really proud of myself for running a marathon and look forward to doing more after College.

Who have been the most influential people you have met during your time at Binghamton?

My teammates have been very influential to me during my time at Binghamton. They always make things fun, support me, and keep me motivated to be the best I can be in all aspects of my life. Two of my friends in my major that are also athletes are also very influential to me. They show me that it is possible to do well in school even when our classes can be hard, and also have time for other enjoyable things in college. Their work etiquette has always pushed me to be a better student-athlete.

How do you feel you have grown as a person since coming to Binghamton?

I feel like I have grown a lot as a person since coming to Binghamton, as many people do when they are away and in college. One of the worst and best things that happened to me during college was the Covid-19 pandemic. While it took me out of in-person classes and my sport for almost a year and a half, it made me realize not to take anything for granted. My classes, running and extra-cirriculars became much more valuable to me once things went back to "normal." I learned a lot about myself in the process, and what it took to become the best version of myself even when it seemed like my life and the world was on pause.

What advice would you give to your freshman self?

One piece of advice I would give my freshman self would be to get more sleep! I was constantly staying up very late at night to get assignments and projects done, so I didn't prioritize sleep. Once I got on a consistent sleep schedule, I saw vast improvements in both my ability to focus in class and in my running development. Having a consistent sleep schedule is definitely something I appreciate as I have more going on in my life.