Five questions with Matthew ManilliFive questions with Matthew Manilli
Track & Field

Five questions with Matthew Manilli


Editor's note: Every Wednesday throughout the fall, we'll catch up with track and field student-athletes and coaches for five questions.
 
Q: What goals do have for yourself this year?
 
Manilli: "The main goal for this year is to PR equally in everything, not go too much for one event and not focus too much on my weaknesses. I just want to focus on strengths and try to make every event my strength."
 
Q: How has multi-events coach Paul Zalewski helped you and pushed you to do better?
 
Manilli: "In high school, I didn't really have a lot of one-on-one training with my coach. Coach Z [Zalewski] has helped me a lot. He helped me find what I'm really capable of and pushing myself past what I think I can do. Coming from last year, I hit a bunch of PRs that I didn't even know I could do, so he helped me reach that goal that I didn't even know was there yet."
 
Q: What is your favorite event and what is your favorite part about it?
 
Manilli: "My favorite event is the 400. It's just that perfect length to where you have to sprint the whole thing. You can't just give it half. That's the race that's going to get you gutted and you hate it, but when you PR and when you do good, that's when it's worth it."
 
Q: How has the adjustment to college life been?
 
Manilli: "In high school we would just have one practice for an hour a day and then come back every other day. Coming from freshman year, it's two-a-days. You come and train from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. then you have lift directly after from 5 to 6. Adjusting to that with school work and trying to make everything important is a lot. But just being a student-athlete in general, it all hits you. To do as well as I did last year, freshman year, with taking it all in, I was happy about my GPA, I PR'd, but nothing really prepares you for it. You just have to do it. You have to experience it yourself and adjust as you go."
 
Q: What was been your favorite part about Tech so far?
 
Manilli: "Definitely the family atmosphere. Wherever you go, even on the track, even with regular students, they just support you no matter what you're doing. If you get a bad grade, someone will say, 'It's just one grade, we all bounce back from it, it's college.'" On the track your teammates are always pushing you to do your best. No one is ever saying something bad about you, it's always positive. That's something I feel like you need if you're going to get better at anything, so that's what I have enjoyed the most."