A
senior runner on the men’s track & field team, Mike Treese is a three-time
PSAC placewinner.
Last
season, Treese, an Altoona native, was part of a 4x100-meter relay squad that
finished sixth in the PSAC Outdoor Championships – improving upon his and the
squad’s seventh place finish in 2011 and ninth place finish in 2010.
A
geography major seeking a geographic information systems certificate, Treese
ran the 400-meter leg of the DMR squad that won the PSAC indoor title in 2011.
Get to know Mike Treese…
What is your favorite pre-meet ritual?
The night before a meet, I like to eat pasta with my sprinter teammates and we goof around and have a good time. Before bed, I listen to some music that just puts me in the right zone before the competition the next day. Right before my race I also listen to music to get focused and pumped up, then minutes before I step on the track, I say a prayer and get ready to run my race.
What part of Shippensburg, either the campus or the town, do you most enjoy?
I really enjoy the CUB because the food is good and it’s a lot faster than the dining halls. I’m always on the go or in a hurry, so grabbing food there is very convenient for me.
What is the best class you've taken at Shippensburg?
So far it has been Geographic Information Systems (GIS) II. Dr. Scott Drzyzga is a fantastic professor who really taught me a lot about GIS. I will be taking GIS III this spring with Dr. Drzyzga so hopefully that class is even better.
If you weren't majoring in geography, what would your major be?
Exercise science.
What is your favorite day of the week, and why?
Saturday, because it’s the weekend. When I’m in-season it’s the day of a meet, and when I’m out-of-season it’s a day full of college football.
Which are your favorite PSAC schools to compete against, and why?
Our rivals Lock Haven and East Stroudsburg, because they are our biggest competition and always provide us with a challenge.
If we asked your teammates to say a few words about you, what do you think they would say?
I think they would say that I’m hardworking, a good friend, a good teammate and just fun to be around.
Which individual athletic accomplishment are you most proud of?
Being named a high school All-American as a senior.
What's the most difficult part of being a student-athlete?
There is just not enough time in a day. It always feels like there is something I need to be doing, whether it be school work or track stuff. It’s pretty difficult trying to balance those things.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned being a student-athlete?
That being a student comes first. No matter how good you are or you think you are at a sport, the whole reason why you are in college is to receive an education. Grades come first and being an athlete is just a really nice privilege added on to being a member of this fine university.
What piece of advice stays with you at all times?
My dad told me before my last high school race, “Mike, your athletic career will not last forever. This could very well be the last time you ever get to compete for the rest of your life. God willing you will get another chance in college but remember this, you need to run with a purpose. Every single time you step on the track you need to run like you will never get another chance because you never know when it will be taken away from you. Make the most out of the talent you were blessed with so you won’t ever look back and say, ‘what if.’ ”
If you could talk to children who are just beginning to show an interest in sprinting, what would you tell them they should focus on?
They would need to focus on their form. At a young age, it is key to learn the proper running/sprinting form so they can get into a good habit of running smoothly. I personally learned that the hard way, and as I got older it was harder and harder to correct my running form. To this day I still don’t have the best running form, so for kids that are looking to compete in track they should really get used to running with good form.
What legacy do you hope to leave behind for future athletes at Shippensburg?
All I ask is for the underclassmen to look up to me as a positive leader. I want to help everyone be the absolute best they can be on and off the track. So that way when I'm gone they too will look upon what I have taught them and hopefully do the same or even build on that to make the new members of the track team even better.
The night before a meet, I like to eat pasta with my sprinter teammates and we goof around and have a good time. Before bed, I listen to some music that just puts me in the right zone before the competition the next day. Right before my race I also listen to music to get focused and pumped up, then minutes before I step on the track, I say a prayer and get ready to run my race.
What part of Shippensburg, either the campus or the town, do you most enjoy?
I really enjoy the CUB because the food is good and it’s a lot faster than the dining halls. I’m always on the go or in a hurry, so grabbing food there is very convenient for me.
What is the best class you've taken at Shippensburg?
So far it has been Geographic Information Systems (GIS) II. Dr. Scott Drzyzga is a fantastic professor who really taught me a lot about GIS. I will be taking GIS III this spring with Dr. Drzyzga so hopefully that class is even better.
If you weren't majoring in geography, what would your major be?
Exercise science.
What is your favorite day of the week, and why?
Saturday, because it’s the weekend. When I’m in-season it’s the day of a meet, and when I’m out-of-season it’s a day full of college football.
Which are your favorite PSAC schools to compete against, and why?
Our rivals Lock Haven and East Stroudsburg, because they are our biggest competition and always provide us with a challenge.
If we asked your teammates to say a few words about you, what do you think they would say?
I think they would say that I’m hardworking, a good friend, a good teammate and just fun to be around.
Which individual athletic accomplishment are you most proud of?
Being named a high school All-American as a senior.
What's the most difficult part of being a student-athlete?
There is just not enough time in a day. It always feels like there is something I need to be doing, whether it be school work or track stuff. It’s pretty difficult trying to balance those things.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned being a student-athlete?
That being a student comes first. No matter how good you are or you think you are at a sport, the whole reason why you are in college is to receive an education. Grades come first and being an athlete is just a really nice privilege added on to being a member of this fine university.
What piece of advice stays with you at all times?
My dad told me before my last high school race, “Mike, your athletic career will not last forever. This could very well be the last time you ever get to compete for the rest of your life. God willing you will get another chance in college but remember this, you need to run with a purpose. Every single time you step on the track you need to run like you will never get another chance because you never know when it will be taken away from you. Make the most out of the talent you were blessed with so you won’t ever look back and say, ‘what if.’ ”
If you could talk to children who are just beginning to show an interest in sprinting, what would you tell them they should focus on?
They would need to focus on their form. At a young age, it is key to learn the proper running/sprinting form so they can get into a good habit of running smoothly. I personally learned that the hard way, and as I got older it was harder and harder to correct my running form. To this day I still don’t have the best running form, so for kids that are looking to compete in track they should really get used to running with good form.
What legacy do you hope to leave behind for future athletes at Shippensburg?
All I ask is for the underclassmen to look up to me as a positive leader. I want to help everyone be the absolute best they can be on and off the track. So that way when I'm gone they too will look upon what I have taught them and hopefully do the same or even build on that to make the new members of the track team even better.
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