Not Your Average Student-Athlete – Penn State University Athletics

“I was thinking about the skillsets I had, and the creative ways I could share that with others. One of the honors classes I had my freshman year talked about website design, so I was pretty comfortable with it, and had some prior experience from the previous summer. I decided to create a site and use the things I’d learned through my freshman year of college, and thought about areas of need where I could fill a gap.” 

She even went as far as creating a Microsoft Excel chart of top performers in each event from past NCAA Outdoor Championships, along with the schools they represented and the academic ranks of said schools to give prospective student-athletes honest perspective with regards to competing at the next level, as well as something to work towards as they went through the recruiting process. 

Her attention to detail and overall mission caught the attention of her coach, who couldn’t be prouder of her efforts to help high schoolers dreaming to one day be in her position. 

“I was super impressed with her website. She asked me some questions along the way and had me look at a few of the things she was putting together,” Gondak said. “When it launched, I spent a lot of time reading the stories and other information she had on there. It was impressive how accurate it was, and just how real it was. 

“Lots of people think it’s wining and dining and trips all around the country, but there’s a real component to it. That’s the great part about her website — it kind of breaks down what to ask and how to ask it, and a time frame to ask it. If you don’t, this could happen to you, etc. Plus, she did all this on top of being a world-class student-athlete.” 

For Vanriele, this was a way to pay it forward to a community that’s surrounded her with support for the 12 years she’s competed on the track. 

“It’s something I’m really proud of,” Vanriele said. “I wanted it to be shared with as many people as possible to try and help as many high school athletes as a way of giving back to the track & field community. It’s my way of saying ‘Thank you.’”