Julia Widen ’24 is from Bronxville, New York, and plays field hockey and runs track and field for Johns Hopkins University.

At Hotchkiss, Widen was co-captain of Girls Varsity Field Hockey and Varsity Track and Field and co-head of St. Luke’s Society.

Why did you choose to run track?

I decided right before my Upper Mid year that I wanted to run in college. I had never really thought it was an option until my hurdles coach, Mr. Sam Somera, told me that my times were competitive for the NESCAC and other schools.

At the time, I was serious about field hockey, which I also play here. I really wanted to be a college athlete, so in order to put my best foot forward, I continued the recruitment process with both sports. I decided to dedicate myself to track and really try my hardest in the upcoming season. As a result, I got a lot better and reached times that were good enough for a lot of the schools that I was interested in.

What are some of your favorite memories from track at Hotchkiss?

There are so many! One funny memory was that we always had to wear pants for warmups no matter how hot it was. It could literally be 90 degrees outside, but the track team would be in pants.

Mr. Somera even started bringing extra slacks in his little yellow bag so runners either could run up the hill back to their dorm to grab pants or wear Mr. Somera’s musty clothes from his bag.

We once had a 6’11 high jumper and he had to wear the infamous slacks from the bag. They were half-way up his calves, and we all had a good laugh about it!

What lessons did you learn at Hotchkiss as an athlete and a student?

As an athlete, I learned how to advocate for myself. I had a very open discourse with my coaches on how I wanted to compete. My experience at Hotchkiss really helped me gain the confidence I needed to communicate effectively with my college coaches in our weekly meetings.

In track, I’m a multi event runner, so I work with numerous coaches. This year was definitely a time of adjustment for me, but as I look ahead to next season, I am ready to have those discussions with my coaches.

What ultimately led you to pick Johns Hopkins for college?

After my Prep year, I knew I wanted to play field hockey in college. I went to a lot of showcases, played on a club team, emailed coaches, and put together film.

For track, on the other hand, I just emailed coaches with my grades, ACT score, and my PR times. For Johns Hopkins, the requirement was to jump over 17 feet in the long jump. I ended up jumping a little over 17’6 during my Upper Mid season.Hopkins also has a very strict academic process for recruitment, and it got to the point where no other students who could jump my distance met the academic requirements. I was already committed to Johns Hopkins for field hockey at that point, so this just gave me confirmation for both teams.

How is being a two sport varisty athlete different in college compared to high school?

At Hotchkiss, it is common for students to play numerous sports. In college, however, it definitely becomes a lot more uncommon. There is only one other student at Johns Hopkins who is a dual sport athlete.

Balancing my two sports and a full class schedule is difficult. Also, when I’m doing something for one team, I’m consequently missing out on something for the other team. I’ve had to learn to be okay with this.

So, while being a dual sport athlete definitely poses its own challenges, my love for both teams and the coaching staff keeps me going.

How has your experience been at Johns Hopkins as a student athlete?

My experience so far has been really good and really hard. Being in Baltimore, the school offers a very diverse community in comparison to rural CT. Being on two sports teams, I have over 160 teammates, so I always know someone wherever I go.

What are some of your goals for college and beyond?

For field hockey, I ideally want to be a starter for my Junior year.

For track, one of my goals for the next outdoor season is to be an Outdoor Academic All American. That would mean that I am in the top 50 in the country for my event and hold a GPA above 3.5.

I’m also looking into finance recruiting, so I hope to get some good internship opportunities.

In general, I am always striving to keep up my academics and sports commitments  while  also  taking advantage of all that is offered on campus.