Courtesy: America East Communications
America East believes that the student-athletes represent the best and brightest of each of the conference's nine member universities . In order to recognize the contributions these student-athletes make to their classrooms, their campuses and their communities, America East will highlight a different student-athlete each month over the course of the 2008-09 school year in a "Best of U." feature.
April's installment of "Best of U." focuses on Stony Brook University's Holly and Lucy Van Dalen, sophomores on the cross country and track & field teams. The identical twin sisters both recently broke separate school records in the 3,000 and 800 meter events last week at the Quinnipiac Quad Meet. Both were named to the Cross Country All-Academic Team last fall, while Lucy also earned the honor for the outdoor track season. The story was written by Stony Brook Athletic Communications Assistant Craig Schroeder.
Nine-thousand miles. Sounds like a long distance. But for twin sisters Holly and Lucy Van Dalen, it’s all relative. If you are talking about the distance from their hometown of Wanganui, New Zealand to Stony Brook, N.Y., it can seem like a world away-- they have only been home three times since arriving on campus in 2007. If you are talking about running, the sophomores have already covered that distance since joining the Seawolves’ cross country and track & field teams -- they each run anywhere between 50 and 70 miles a week. But if you are talking about how far you would be willing to travel to pursue your goals, for the Van Dalens, it’s been worth every mile.
“We love being at Stony Brook,” said Holly, “it suits our needs, both academically and athletically, very well.”
The identical twins have chosen almost identical academic paths, focusing their studies around sociology. Holly is a sociology and English major with goals of becoming a high school teacher, while Lucy pairs her sociology major with a minor in child and family studies, hoping to become a social worker in the future.
When choosing their academic paths, the sisters decided to follow their passions, according to Shannon Logan, Stony Brook’s academic advisor for cross country and track & field. “They picked majors that they are truly interested in. They want to have professions where they will make an impact on people’s lives, and sociology will help them achieve that goal.”
In the mean time, the Van Dalens are having quite an impact on the Stony Brook athletic department. It’s been less than two years since their arrival and they already have five America East titles, three appearances at the NCAA Nationals and eight school records between them. They have also had a positive impact academically. Individually, they were two of only 76 female student-athletes in all of Division I to be named to the USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic team. They also led the Seawolves women’s team to a combined GPA of 3.36 and a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honor.
“Naturally, we aren’t geniuses,” laughed Lucy, “but with some work we do pretty well in class. Our parents have always been very supportive and never put too much pressure on us. Also, the academic advisors here are amazing. The support they give to the student-athletes is just insane. They have really been accommodating of our passions for both running and academics.”
Balancing their passions for athletics and academics so successfully is what impresses their academic advisor the most, who says they are an excellent example for all student-athletes.
“They truly are making the most out of the opportunity given to them,” said Logan. “The way they have been able to succeed at such a high level in their sport while also achieving in the classroom shows great balance and discipline.”
Self-discipline, a skill most college students struggle with, comes naturally to the Van Dalens; a credit to their running background.
“We have a very structured schedule because of our running,” said Holly. “For instance, sleep is very important for us, so we make sure we get our work done during the day.”
“We aren’t putting our studies off and then trying to pull all-nighters, because we can’t,” added Lucy.
Stony Brook’s head cross country and track& field coach, Andy Ronan, sees their influence rubbing off on teammates, who are starting to buy into the daily structure the Van Dalens use to keep their athletic and academic schedules balanced. The results have been telling.
“The day they arrived on this campus was a turning point for this program,” said Ronan. “We went from a regional program to a national one because of the attitude and work ethic they bring to both practice and the classroom.”
What may be most impressive about the Van Dalens is their desire to improve. While they are pleased with what they have achieved to this point, they are in no way satisfied and look forward to the challenges ahead.
“In running there is always a better time you can post or a stronger race you can run,” started Lucy, “and in class there’s always a better grade to aim for,” finished Holly. “We’ve found things we are passionate about and a place that supports those passions which is helping us strive to be the best in both.”
America East believes that the student-athletes represent the best and brightest of each of the conference's nine member universities . In order to recognize the contributions these student-athletes make to their classrooms, their campuses and their communities, America East will highlight a different student-athlete each month over the course of the 2008-09 school year in a "Best of U." feature.
April's installment of "Best of U." focuses on Stony Brook University's Holly and Lucy Van Dalen, sophomores on the cross country and track & field teams. The identical twin sisters both recently broke separate school records in the 3,000 and 800 meter events last week at the Quinnipiac Quad Meet. Both were named to the Cross Country All-Academic Team last fall, while Lucy also earned the honor for the outdoor track season. The story was written by Stony Brook Athletic Communications Assistant Craig Schroeder.
Nine-thousand miles. Sounds like a long distance. But for twin sisters Holly and Lucy Van Dalen, it’s all relative. If you are talking about the distance from their hometown of Wanganui, New Zealand to Stony Brook, N.Y., it can seem like a world away-- they have only been home three times since arriving on campus in 2007. If you are talking about running, the sophomores have already covered that distance since joining the Seawolves’ cross country and track & field teams -- they each run anywhere between 50 and 70 miles a week. But if you are talking about how far you would be willing to travel to pursue your goals, for the Van Dalens, it’s been worth every mile.
“We love being at Stony Brook,” said Holly, “it suits our needs, both academically and athletically, very well.”
The identical twins have chosen almost identical academic paths, focusing their studies around sociology. Holly is a sociology and English major with goals of becoming a high school teacher, while Lucy pairs her sociology major with a minor in child and family studies, hoping to become a social worker in the future.
When choosing their academic paths, the sisters decided to follow their passions, according to Shannon Logan, Stony Brook’s academic advisor for cross country and track & field. “They picked majors that they are truly interested in. They want to have professions where they will make an impact on people’s lives, and sociology will help them achieve that goal.”
In the mean time, the Van Dalens are having quite an impact on the Stony Brook athletic department. It’s been less than two years since their arrival and they already have five America East titles, three appearances at the NCAA Nationals and eight school records between them. They have also had a positive impact academically. Individually, they were two of only 76 female student-athletes in all of Division I to be named to the USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic team. They also led the Seawolves women’s team to a combined GPA of 3.36 and a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honor.
“Naturally, we aren’t geniuses,” laughed Lucy, “but with some work we do pretty well in class. Our parents have always been very supportive and never put too much pressure on us. Also, the academic advisors here are amazing. The support they give to the student-athletes is just insane. They have really been accommodating of our passions for both running and academics.”
Balancing their passions for athletics and academics so successfully is what impresses their academic advisor the most, who says they are an excellent example for all student-athletes.
“They truly are making the most out of the opportunity given to them,” said Logan. “The way they have been able to succeed at such a high level in their sport while also achieving in the classroom shows great balance and discipline.”
Self-discipline, a skill most college students struggle with, comes naturally to the Van Dalens; a credit to their running background.
“We have a very structured schedule because of our running,” said Holly. “For instance, sleep is very important for us, so we make sure we get our work done during the day.”
“We aren’t putting our studies off and then trying to pull all-nighters, because we can’t,” added Lucy.
Stony Brook’s head cross country and track& field coach, Andy Ronan, sees their influence rubbing off on teammates, who are starting to buy into the daily structure the Van Dalens use to keep their athletic and academic schedules balanced. The results have been telling.
“The day they arrived on this campus was a turning point for this program,” said Ronan. “We went from a regional program to a national one because of the attitude and work ethic they bring to both practice and the classroom.”
What may be most impressive about the Van Dalens is their desire to improve. While they are pleased with what they have achieved to this point, they are in no way satisfied and look forward to the challenges ahead.
“In running there is always a better time you can post or a stronger race you can run,” started Lucy, “and in class there’s always a better grade to aim for,” finished Holly. “We’ve found things we are passionate about and a place that supports those passions which is helping us strive to be the best in both.”
