Zachary Hall arrived at Roberts Wesleyan University in January looking for a fresh start.
Hall, a member of the Redhawks cross country and track and field teams, has spent his fall semester at Rochester Institute of Technology as an engineering major before coming to the realization that he didn't want to be an engineer.
Hall was looking to transfer to a smaller, Christian school and his friend from high school, Karly Smith, told him that she was enjoying her college experience at Roberts.
Hall decided to give Roberts a try and is glad he did.
He has made strong connections within the campus community and strides in his running with the cross country team. Hall was the top finisher for the Redhawks at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational on Homecoming Weekend and led Roberts at meets in Louisville, Ky., and Lock Haven, Pa., in October.
He also finished fourth overall in the East Coast Conference Championship meet on Nov. 5 and was named first-team all-conference. A sophomore exercise science major from Oakfield, N.Y., Hall has a 4.0 grade-point average and is Roberts' Male Scholar Athlete of the Month for October.
Hall took a few moments to talk about being a student-athlete at Roberts. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
When did you start running competitively?
"I had gotten a concussion my seventh-grade year in basketball, so my dad (Robert) told me that maybe I should try track the following spring. I really liked it and I was pretty good, so I was kind of like, 'I'm sticking with this for now.'"
What did you like about it?
"My dad actually ran when he was in high school, so that's how I knew about it. I grew up playing ball sports and had always enjoyed the conditioning part of those, so I guess dad was really the one who pushed me to start doing track."
Do you prefer track or cross country?
"I always say by the end of cross country I am ready for track and by the end of track I am ready for cross country. I love the team aspect of cross country, it is just a little bit more tight-knit and you are aiming for similar goals at the end of the season. Track is a little bit more of trying to shave off times and I really like that, too."
How do you like the community aspect at Roberts?
"I love that much better than the big campus at RIT. I had a class at RIT where there were 200 people in a big lecture hall and then I came to Roberts and a teacher made us write our names on nametags and put them in front of us. … Being from a small town, that was kind of more of what I was used to and I liked that much better."
Is there one area where you have improved the most for cross country?
"I would say that I have my mileage up a little bit higher, so my aerobic capacity is bigger and better than it has been."
What have been your favorite courses at Roberts?
"I really enjoyed Old and New Testament. I took both of those last semester, just diving deeper into God's word, I have also really enjoyed adventure education, which I am taking this semester."
How has being at Roberts helped with your spiritual growth?
"A bunch of us on the team go to church on Sundays. We pray before practice and it is kind of like those little things in that environment that fosters that growth."
What would you like to do after you graduate?
"I would like to be a college coach, I think that would be something that I would enjoy, but also with exercise science and going on to grad school PT (physical therapy) would be the kind of thing I would go for depending on what kind of doors open after graduation."
