Tripod Athlete of the Week- Katelyn Elinoff ’17

ANTHONY ZUCARO ’16
SPORTS EDITOR
As winter ends, the Women’s Track and Field team is transferring into the spring season. One runner looking to make an impact is sprinter Katelyn Elinoff ’17, who has made waves at Trinity since she started. Elinoff finished 10th in the 55m dash at the Coast Guard Invitational during her rookie year and continued to set personal records her sophomore year, such as the 60m dash (8.46), the 200m dash (27.2), and a season-best time of 13.45 in the 100m dash. She has continued her strong performance this season with top 20 finishes in the Springfield Invitational and qualifying placements for the 4×200 relay team.
Funnily enough, Elinoff’s original inspiration came from basketball. “Growing up, I’d say my favorite athlete was Paul Pierce. I’m from a small town outside of Boston, so when the Celtics were doing pretty hot I was this crazy fanatic always glued to the television when they were on. So, when high school rolled around I tried out for the basketball team and, to my disbelief, I made the JV squad. It took about a week for me to see the only reason I made the team was due to my “quickness.” I quit the following year and decided try out for winter track, and I broke the 300m dash school record and anchored the states winning 4×200 relay. I realized that I started with the wrong sport!”
Despite the difficulty in balancing sports and school, Elinoff says it benefits her work habits. “I have personally worked the best both academically and athletically when I am in season and on a schedule. I always liked to remain busy and it seemed to benefit me in the long run. Trinity was the perfect school for me because it allowed me to remain busy, but also be a part of all the different opportunities that interested me. I felt my high school did a good job preparing me for my crazy schedule and taught me how to manage my time effectively and put forth my best effort.”
Unfortunately, on-and-off injuries have hampered Elinoff during her early years at Trinity. However, her recovery has had a large impact on her outlook. “I would have to say my most exciting personal sports moment just happened two short weeks ago at the Boston University Valentine’s Day Invitational, where over 250 girls from all across the nation were competing in just my single event alone. With on and off injuries for the past three years, I have not been able to compete at the level I was used to in high school. However, finally this past weekend I ran my first race without pain and ran my fastest time at Trinity so far. Although I am still away from where I want to be, it was the first race I finished and remembered why I love ‘running for run’ like we say”.
Elinoff and the 4×200 team (consisting of Katie Tonyia ’17, Katie Lee ’18, and Allie Bieling ’19) qualified for the ECAC Championship in their recent meet at Middlebury, making Elinoff quite pleased. “With the performance we had at Middlebury, I am so excited to see what this relay team can do in the future. We have a least three full seasons left together as a consistent sprint group and I am really looking forward to seeing what us girls can do within the next couple months.”
Overall, this comeback season has brightened Elinoff’s horizon. “This winter season has really set me back on track… I finally feel fast again and running without pain is the best feeling in the world.” Elinoff and the rest of the team will compete on March 4th at the Tufts Last Chance Meet in New York.