Rising senior Nick D'Angelo has been an incredibly impactful runner for LVC over his past three years. Boasting great versatility, Nick has run a 27:05 for 8K during XC and 4:12, 9:05 and 15:51 for 1500, 3000 & 5000 respectively during the track season. Nick will look to make his first top 20 appearance at the MAC Championships this fall, coming very close during his sophomore campaign with a 24th place finish.
1) What made you come to Lebanon Valley College? Where did you come from and how did you hear about our institution?
I went to Liberty High School in
Bethlehem, PA. My first experience with LVC was in the summer going into
my junior year in high school, when I attended the annual music camp.
I applied to several different
institutions for piano performance because I was passionate about getting into
the field of music industry. The only problem was, I heard time and time
again that it would have been very difficult for me to pick up a second major
in business, much less compete collegiately, at these institutions.
However, I attended the accepted
students day at LVC and got a completely different vibe. I was told that
competing and taking additional coursework towards minors and second majors was
common for students at LVC. Within that 5-minute conversation with my potential
advisor, I knew this was where I was going.
2) What is your major and why did you choose it?
I came to LVC primarily as a Music
Business major. This unique degree allowed me to continue my studies in
piano performance while also taking business classes. I added Digital
Communications as a second degree after taking an introductory course as an
elective, and now it has become my second major. I have always been into
interactive and graphic design, and there has been a lot of overlap with my
music business degree as far as marketing, graphical arts, and even game
development.
3) What do you plan on doing upon graduation with your degree?
During the spring semester of my
junior year, I created a business plan for a music industry-oriented social
gaming company. I am going to see this plan put into action after
college, but also get into . After a few years, I would like to go back
to school for a masters degree, and possibly teach/ coach distance running in
college.
4) What is your favorite part about being a member of the LVC cross country program?
Each of us has progressed and
competed to build this program into what it is today. We have come
together over the past few years as a team, both on the men's and women's side.
Whats great about it is seeing you and your teamates make gains and
endure through the losses, and being able to relate to it all because we are in
the same competition working towards the same goals.
5)
What is your favorite type of workout? Is there any one particular
workout that you can remember that was challenging but made you a better
runner for it?
The 2 mile 1 mile is one of my
favorites because of the inner team competition, but in all honesty my best and
most challenging workout was the 8 x 1000 @ race pace. I remember running
it on Lehigh's 8k course at night by myself. It was one of those workouts
where you get to really gauge your fitness, and test your endurance. You start
to tell yourself, "I've come a long way since the begining of the
season. I can do this."
6) What are your short term and long term running-related goals, both team and individual?
Individually, I am aiming for a
top 20 spot at MACs this season. My long term goals are to continue
competing in open races after college, and hopefully see myself as a sub 26
minute 8k/ low 15's 5k guy by the end of my running career. As a team I
would like to see us have a bigger pack during our races. We have some pretty
good depth this year and I believe we can be a big threat if we bring it
together on the course.
7) What hobbies, sports or other leisure time activities do you enjoy most?
Skiing and going to the beach are
among my favorite things to do outside of running. If I had to pick
another sport outside of distance running, I would probably get into swimming
(if I could only get used to keeping my head under water...). I also
spend free time learning to play pop songs on the keyboards, and learning classical
piano pieces. This final one is unusual, but I'm getting into martial
arts, particularly with swordfighting. It was something me and my cousin
did one weekend just to see what it would be like (after watching movies like
"Last Samarai" and "300") but I developed a taste for it,
and have been into it ever since.
8) What is your favorite type of food?
Mint CC/ Cookies and Cream Ice
Cream, the ultimate post-race desert.
9) What makes you unique? Do you have any special talents or something else that you'd like to share that others would find interesting?
Being an athlete and a musician.
One of my greatest traits is that I like making a positive impact in other
people's lives. I put in the mileage and perform to the best of my ability as
an athlete not just for myself, but because I know my actions can inspire
others to do thier best as well. This also carries over to my musicianship. I
enjoy learning new pieces on piano, and figuring out how to play the latest
music, not just because I enjoy it, but so my friends and family can listen and
enjoy it as well.
I live in the moment, and try things
that I have never done before.
I love experiencing new things with
others and being able to know what its like, so I can be more open and relate
to others who have had similar experiences, or made them a major part of thier
life. All my life I have been proving myself against the odds, which has
been a major aspect of who I am since the day I was born. I was initially
not accepted into the music program here at LVC because I failed the singing
portion of the audition. I was already accepted into the four other
colleges I applied for, but I felt my college search would not be complete
without being accepted into all the music programs I applied for. So I
took up vocal lessons and scheduled another time to re-audition instead of
letting it go. Without that mentality, I wouldn't have recieved an
acceptance letter to LVC in April, would've never came to LVC, and wouldn't be
writing on this blog today.
10) Why should a high school junior or senior take a more serious look at LVC?
The opportunities this college
has to offer both academically and athletically are the reasons I initially
came here. The liberal education side of it gives students an opportunity
to take classes in areas outside of thier respective degrees, and its not
unusual for students to double major or pick up one or two minors.
Another major aspect of LVC is the people. Class sizes are small,
so students have plenty of opportunities to get extra help from thier
professors outside of the classroom. By this point I have come to know
the majority of faces and people that make up this college. You are a
name to everyone here, not a number, and I think thats pretty important as
well.
