Women's Indoor Track and Field | 12/16/2022 9:54:14 AM
Lea Richard is in her third season as a member of the Nazareth College women's indoor and outdoor track and field teams and first year as a captain in 2022-23. Richard is the two-time Empire 8 Indoor Track and Field Champion in the weight throw and was the 2022 E8 Outdoor Track and Field Champion in the hammer throw. In addition, Richard is Nazareth's record holder in the indoor weight throw (16.24 meters) and outdoor hammer throw (45.95 meters), She is off to a great start in 2022-23, earning Empire 8 Firld Athlete of the Week honors on Dec. 12 after recording the 11th best throw to date among all Division III student-athletes in the weight throw (16.09 meters).
A native of Gansevoort, NY, Richard is a physical therapy major. She is two-time Empire 8 President's List selection for academic excellence, 2022 USTFCCCA Outdoor Track and Field All-Academic selection and a member of Nazareth's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee,
Lea Richard - Empire 8 Captains
Institution: Nazareth College
Sport(s): Indoor & Outdoor Women’s Track & Field
Major(s)/Minor(s): Physical Therapy (major)/Business Leadership (minor)
GPA: 3.8
Class Year: Junior
Anticipated Graduation Date: Anticipated May 2024 undergraduate, May 2026 Doctorate of Physical Therapy
Favorite Professional Athletes: United States Olympic Throwers Deanna Price & Brooke Andersen
Favorite Food: Sushi
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Dream Vacation: Greece
Last TV Show/Series You Binge Watched: Dance Moms
Various Academic Honors/Academic or Athletic Clubs:
- 2020-2021 Nazareth Athletcs Rookie of the Year
- 2021-22 USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete
- 2021-22 Empire 8 Sportswoman of the year
- 2021-22 Nazareth Women's Field Athlete of the Year
- Nazareth College SAAC representative since August 2021
- Two-time Empire 8 President's List selection
When Did You Become a Captain?/How Long Have You Served in That Role?
I became a captain of the track team this year but have helped lead the throwers throughout my time on the team.
What Are Your Duties as Team Captain?
My duties are to motivate and encourage teammates, give advice, and lift them up when they are feeling discouraged. Additionally, I help lead practices and lifts in the preseason.
What Type of Leader Are You?
I feel I am a charismatic leader, who values communication, persuasiveness, and interpersonal relationships to most effectively lead my teammates. I value relationships I have with team members outside of our sport to show I am invested and value them on a personal level rather than just a sport level.
What Qualities Do You Think A Team Leader Should Have?
I believe a leader should be motivating, encouraging, positive, inclusive, realistic, down to earth, and not self-absorbed.
Any Interesting or Exciting Internships You Have Done or Are Currently Working On?
I have had the opportunity to complete lots of shadowing experiences to prepare myself for my graduate coursework in the Nazareth's Doctorate of Physical Therapy program.
Plans After Graduation: After graduation, I plan to find a job as a physical therapist ideally working with children.
What Do You See Yourself Doing in 10-15 Years/What is Your Ultimate Professional Goal: My ultimate professional goal is to combine my Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree with my business leadership minor in order to own and operate my own Physical Therapy office.
How Has Playing Collegiately and in the Empire 8 Prepared You For Life After College: Playing sports in college has prepared me for life in that I have learned how to create positive relationships with coaches, peers, and professors. It has also taught me time management skills, as well as important leadership skills. I have been able to create big goals and followed through on the work that it takes to achieve them.
Favorite Athletic Memory from Your Time in College: One of my favorite athletic memories from my time at Nazareth is when I placed second at regionals last year. On the last throw of my last meet of the season, I was able to exceed my goal of 16 meters and threw 16.24 meters. The moment the official said the distance of the throw, I ran to my coach and gave him a big hug. It was such a big moment and I was so grateful for all the support and coaching he had provided to help me reach this goal.
Greatest Mentors (On or Off Campus): My greatest mentors are my coaches. My coaches from home, Coach Hansen and Coach Morris are the ones who got me into throwing and always provided me with everything I could ever need to succeed. They are the ones who helped me to reach my goal of throwing in college. At Naz, Coach Schneider and Coach Goss have fine-tuned the skills I came into college with and supported me to be able to compete at the level I am today.
What Have You Learned About Yourself from Being a Captain: I have learned from being a captain that I love to see others succeed. Being able to see your teammates achieve their goals and realize all their hard work has paid off is something so special.
One Thing Most People Do Not Know About You: I am a lifeguard
Advice for Younger Teammates/Student-Athletes and Future Captains: My advice for student-athletes is that the way to succeed both in the classroom and in your sport is to give it your all. No matter what the outcome is, if you give something your absolute best effort, you can never let yourself down. Realizing that the concept of giving something your all and perfection are not the same thing, can lessen negative self-talk and create an overall more positive mindset.
The Empire 8 Conference's “Captains” Series features a student-athlete from one of its member institutions in a leadership role which focuses on how being in that role has helped them as a student-athlete and person in addition to preparing for life after college.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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