10 | Tuesday, October 3, 2017
SPORTS
The University Star Lisette Lopez Sports Editor @lisette_1023
UniversityStar.com @universitystar
CROSS COUNTRY
Devina Schneider
(Far right) Devina Schneider, junior cross country runner, paces toward the finish line during a previous meet. PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLEY SPENCER
Long distance runner strides into a new year in two sports
By Melea Polk Sports Reporter As her third season as a Bobcat commences, junior runner Devina Schneider has new things in mind for the upcoming cross country and track season. Schneider began her running career in the second grade, and continued through high school, where she received the Most Valuable Player in both cross country and track. After graduating from Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas in 2015, Schneider came to San Marcos. “I started when I was really little,” Schneider said. “My parents put me in the running program in the 2nd grade. After my first meet, I realized I actually liked it and I just stuck with it.” Schneider chose Texas State to continue her running career because of the wildlife biology program. She also fell in love with the Hill Country. “I have always been interested in the outdoors and animals,” Schneider said. “I just combined the two. Wildlife biology is also a really good major here.” Her decision to move to San Marcos was the factor that split her and her
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“My parents put me in the running program in the 2nd grade. After my first meet, I realized I actually liked it and I just stuck with it.”
Devina Schneider
identical twin sister, Jahnavi, up. “My identical twin is also a runner,” Schneider said. “She competes for the University of Houston, where she is a kinesiology major.” Schneider competed in five meets her freshman year debuting at the Texas State Invitational ended with a ninth place title and a time of 11:40.6. At the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Championships, she was named a top finisher after finishing 13th with a time
of 18:54.2. In 2016, Schneider finished three times as a top-eight finisher during the indoor season. She won a bronze medal in the distance medley relay at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships, where the women’s team took the Championship title. Being in two sports can be difficult, but Schneider handles it well. The wildlife biology major utilizes her training in cross country to succeed in track. “It makes it easier training for cross because when track comes around, you have a whole foundation laid out,” Schneider said. “I feel like I am a step ahead.” Choosing a favorite running event was not hard for Schneider. Track prevails over cross country because of how strategic the sport is. “I think I am more of a strategic runner in track,” Schneider said. “I am just now learning to strategize my race in cross country and put myself at certain points. In track, it just comes naturally for me. So, that is why I like it more.” However, in handling being an athlete, Schneider takes being a student just as serious. For the 2016-17 school year,
she was named a Texas State Academic Achievement recipient. After graduation, Schneider would like to work for the National Parks and Wildlife Service, an organization dedicated to preserving parks and wildlife. “I am interested in working with the National Parks and Wildlife after graduation,” Schneider said. “I think it would be pretty cool to work with them.” As for now, Schneider has a few expectations for the season. For cross country, she would like to do well enough to make it to the NCAA South Central Regional meet in College Station, and further herself as an individual and as a team. “I would like to get top ten as an individual in the Sun Belt Conference Championship meet,” Schneider said. “I also want our girls to do really well and finish top five there, at least. I am really hoping to go to regionals.” As cross country is slowly winding down with SBC Championships on Oct. 28 in Boone, North Carolina, Schneider will begin to merge sports and start the new indoor track season once again.
VOLLEYBALL
Club volleyball looking to improve with new president By Lisette Lopez Sports Editor Many students stop playing sports once they come to college, but for one student, quitting volleyball was never an option. Jenny Berrong, marketing junior, started playing volleyball in middle school and loved the sport ever since. However, coming to college, she knew her sole focus was on her education. “College volleyball is a huge commitment,” Berrong said. “I knew that I wanted to graduate a semester early, so my degree was my priority.” Even having a sole commitment to her education could not stop Berrong's love for the sport, so she joined the club volleyball team in the fall of 2016. Berrong found her place on the team and said club volleyball is a happy medium between intermural and the athletics team. “We are extremely competitive and play big schools such as UT, Baylor, A&M and other big schools, but without the same level of dedication,” Berrong said. “You have time for your classes and time for a social life while being able to play competitively.” Berrong is now the president of the volleyball club and looks to make the most out of her role. She was nominated by the previous president, and had no desire to become the new leader. Now that Berrong has her new role, she will do her best to fulfill the position. “I’m really excited for this new role,” Berrong said. “I want to hopefully make club volleyball even better than before, and bring our team closer together.” Even as the president of the volley-
ball club, Berrong has her own individual goals this season. Berrong hopes to improve in every aspect. “I hope to improve in my new role as president by forming a strong team this semester,” Berrong said. “We have almost an entirely new team this semester, so I’m hoping to build a positive, yet competitive, environment for our team and be successful in our tournaments.” There is a different setting in club volleyball. The team travels, goes to nationals and has practices weekly, but it is a more relaxed setting. With this relaxed setting, Berrong said the team has more of a family feel with everyone working on becoming better. “I want to make each player feel like an important and needed asset to the team,” Berrong said. “I also have a goal of improving myself as a player on the court and improving my stats for each tournament.” Berrong held open tryouts to expand the new team. “They went really great,” Berrong said. “A lot of great players showed up and there was a lot of competition. We made two tryouts of cuts at the end of each tryout day until we had our final team.” With a new team this season, anything is possible. Berrong said she is very confident in her new team this season. “We have a lot of great players with many skills,” Berrong said. “We had our first tournament last weekend and went to three games with UT’s A-team, which is normally the best club team in Texas. We ended up losing the third game 1513, but it was a great start to our season. We can only improve from here on.” Playing a sport for years can build character, leadership and communica-
The women's club volleyball team huddles before competing in a tournament. PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNY BERRONG
tion skills. Berrong said playing volleyball for so long can help her build her career with the skills she has learned by being on a team. “I believe, in volleyball, you have to
use strong communication in order to work as a team,” Berrong said. “This will help me in the future when working in the business world.”