Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/962469
cavalier sports 10 CAVALIER CORNER Coming out of Owen J. Roberts High School in Chester Springs, Pa., as a five-time all-state performer and a member of the All-New England 4x400-meter relay, Holly Sullivan was poised for good things to happen in her Virginia career as a multi-event track and field athlete. Steady improvement has marked her time as a Wahoo, particularly in her pentathlon points total at the ACC Indoor Championships this past February. She notched a fourth-place finish with a personal-best 3,917 points, far exceeding her 13th-place finish in 2017 and topping her previous best point total of 3,789. The fourth-year recorded three personal-best performances during her five events to earn second-team All-ACC honors, clocking a time of 8.99 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles, and leaping 1.69 meters in the high jump and 5.76 meters in the long jump. She also had a toss of 9.44 meters in the shot put and ran the 800 meters in 2:15.32. Cavalier Corner: Your mother, Verne (Holy Cross), and father, Lee (Worcester Polytechnic Institute), were runners in college. How did that impact you? Sullivan: "I always knew that my parents had both been successful athletes, but they never pushed me in any particular direction. I actually spent most of my childhood playing soccer and basketball, and riding horses. "It wasn't until middle school when I first started running track. I loved being able to talk to them about what they had done and see their enthusiasm towards the sport." Cavalier Corner: Who, besides you parents, has had the most impact on your career? Sullivan: "My teammates have always inspired me. Those are the people that you see every day, go through seemingly never-ending workouts with and who are always there when you need someone to lean on." Cavalier Corner: What factors attracted you to UVA? Sullivan: "Virginia struck me as the perfect balance between aca- demics and athletics. I knew that it was a great school, and a degree from here would say something to future employers. It was also impor- tant to me to attend a school where I would be pushed and supported athletically to become the best I could be." Cavalier Corner: How was your adjustment to being a college student-athlete? Sullivan: "Transitioning to college, particularly as an athlete at a school like UVA, is definitely a process. It involves a lot of learning when it comes to balancing athletics, academics and everything in between. "While it has been challenging, I've enjoyed the journey, and I know that it has helped me grow as a person." Cavalier Corner: What life lessons have you built from your whole Virginia experience? Sullivan: "One thing I've learned is the importance of being able to live in the moment. As a student-athlete, we have to be able to transition between classes and athletics without letting stressors in either realm cross over into the other. "If you can prioritize what is in front of you at that particular moment you produce better results, and you are also able to enjoy it more." — Jerry Reid five questions Fourth-Year Track & Field Athlete Holly Sullivan Sullivan earned second-team All-ACC honors by placing fourth in the pen- tathlon with a personal-best 3,917 points at the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships in February. PHOTO BY JIM DAVES/COURTESY UVA