Posted: Apr 05, 2016

Pioneer Q&A - Samantha Mawn & Yisheng Lupo

Each semester Sport Management students complete a field experience within the Alfred State athletic department. One of the assignments this semester for the field experience is that each member of the class profile a current student-athlete with a Q&A session.

Recently Dylan Rendo interviewed track & field athlete Yisheng Lupo and Carson George interviewed softball player Samanatha Mawn.

Dylan Rendo interview of track & field athlete Yisheng Lupo

How has the season been going for you and the team? It's going great, I started a little slow since this is my first year doing track but I really feel like I'm improving. The team as a whole is great, the women's team in particular is fantastic.

Has the weather played much of a factor in your track meets? Yes, the last two meets have been in Pennsylvania and the wind was really hard to run against. Hopefully the weather in April will be better.

What's your favorite event to participate in during track? The long jump is my favorite event, my record is 5.38 meters.

What's your typical routine before a track meet? I eat a lot of food the night before a meet to get protein and carbs in my body then I get a good nights sleep. Right before my event I usually eat a Cliff Bar because it gives me a good amount of energy.

Do you take track competitively or is it something you just enjoy doing? I'd say both, it's fun to go to meets and travel around but I also enjoy the competition aspect of track. I always try and beat my record in an event.

Why did you get involved in track? Well people have always told me that I am a fast runner and after this year I plan on transferring to a different school, so being part of the track team will add to my extra-curricular activities.

How often do you train for track? I usually train about 3 times a week and that consists of running a few miles and doing some cardio exercises. I also stretch every single day.

What's your favorite thing to do after a track meet? After a track meet, the whole team usually goes out and gets dinner, if it's a home meet we will go to terrace and we will usually all eat a lot. That's probably my favorite thing to do after a track meet.

What would you say to someone who wants to join the track team? I'd highly recommend it, I was nervous about joining the team but I've had a great time going to meets, competing, and meeting new people. If someone does want to join, they should get in touch with one of the coaches as soon as possible.

Carson George interview of softball player Samantha Mawn

How long have you been playing Softball and what/who got you interested to start playing? I have played since third grade so about 12 years. My mom got me to play when I was little

What is your major? I'm a senior in the nursing Program and hope to graduate with an associate's degree in May.

What is the hardest part about being a Student-Athlete? Definitely time management and making sure I get everything done on time. Everything changes because of the weather and practice schedule so I have to plan when to do homework and study around practices and games.

How is this year's Alfred State Softball team different from last season's squad? We have 2 freshman's pitchers with not a whole lot of experience pitching against college players. We also have a new coach and a whole new system. We do have a lot of players in their final year of playing here at Alfred State.

What was the best part about the Florida Trip you the team took last month? We won a few more games down there this year, which is always nice. But outside of the games we all had fun with each other. Like throwing Freshman Pitcher Jordan into the pool at the hotel. We all like to have fun and it just made the whole trip enjoyable.

What are your overall thoughts/expectations on the team this season? We have potential to win quite a few games this season. Hopefully the weather gets better and we get to play some more games. We expect to improve our record from last season.