St. Mary’s alums have been making a major impact at Regis College in Weston. The trio of Mikey Carroll, Lily Belschner and Ed Power are all former Spartans – two seniors in a time of reflection, and a freshman embarking on a great journey.
Carroll, A Lynn native, is now in the midst of his senior year at Regis and has accomplished a great deal in his first three years. Last spring, Carroll ran at the Greater Northeast Atlantic Conference (GNAC) Championships in the 1500-meter race. He not only finished first, but also set a school record with a time of 4:16.
Although, it ended up being the last race Carroll ran last year, as he needed to undergo two surgeries on his leg. Carroll said he had no idea it was going to happen.
“I had no idea this was going to be the last race I would run for such a long time,” Carroll said. “I am not able to participate this winter season, as I am still rehabbing my leg. This will be the longest time not being able to participate in track since covid. This circumstance has made me realize when I am able to get back on the track, I will be grateful every time I am out there, whether it is running at a practice or an actual meet.”
Carroll expects to be back with his Regis track team in the spring of 2023, and still has loft expectations set for himself.
“When I started track freshman year, I always wanted to accomplish winning as a team and in my individual events,” Carroll said. “That motivation and mindset will be no different once I am competing again in the spring.”
Academically, Carroll will be graduating next year with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and has already been accepted to Boston University’s graduate program of criminology. Carroll plans to land a job in crime prevention after he has completed his BU grad program.
Shifting gears to fellow Regis senior Belschner, the Revere native started her college track career three years ago. Belschner’s plan was to be a part of the Regis track team, but only compete in a couple events at most. Belschner now competes in the following individual events: 60-meters indoor; 100-meters outdoor; 200-meters indoor and outdoor; triple jump and long jump. Belschner is also a part of the 4×100 outdoor and 4×200 indoor relay teams.
Belschner said the Regis track program helped her realize and reach her true athletic potential.
“The type of training regimen is different at Regis versus in high school,” Belschner said. “I saw myself improving every day at the start of my freshman year, so I started to gain more and more confidence after every workout and practice I finished. I always felt that I could take on more, so I decided to, and I am so glad I did.”
Belschner will be graduating from Regis with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, and has applied to grad school looking to get into a masters and PHD program with a focus in behavioral neuroscience or critical research.
Belschner feels the lessons she has learned on the track will translate when it comes to what she will face in the future.
“When I am competing, I always keep the focus on myself and not worry about what my competitor or anyone else may be doing,” Belschner said. “I solely focused on what I can control on the track, and in doing so, it has helped lead me down the right path in life thus far. I feel that will remain the case when it comes to grad school and finding a career job after college.”
The last of the trio is Regis freshman Power. The Lynn native is a part of his first collegiate winter track season and has already seen the difference of high school versus college.
“In high school, when you come to practice, the whole team is there and everyone is practicing at the same time,” Power said. “In college, training and practice is really built to help you. The coaches were great at St. Mary’s, but the coaches at Regis want you as an athlete and a student to succeed, so the practices and workouts are built to help you reach your athletic potential.”
Power transitioned from high school to college rather quickly.
“It is a big difference going to school from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then going to track practice later, versus having the ability to wake up 30 minutes before your practice and having to go to just two to three classes in one day,” Power said.
Power is now competing in the shot put and weight throw, and in the spring, plans to compete in shot put, javelin, disc, and the hammer throw. Power plans on absorbing as much information as he can from his more-experienced teammates and his coaches.
“I was late to the track scene, as I first started track in my junior year at St. Mary’s,” Power said. “The people around me then, from teammates to coaches, made me fall in love with the sport, which is the reason why I am still doing it today. I am around great teammates and coaches now, so I plan on learning as much as I can from them until my time is up at Regis.”
Power has many goals he wants to achieve on the track, but said all he wants is to look back on a strong decision.
“After my time at Regis, I want to be able to look back and say that me being on the track team at Regis was a good decision,” Power said. “I can definitely say, right now, being on the track team is the right decision, and I do expect that to be the case after I graduate from Regis as well.”
Jerry DiStefano can also be contacted at [email protected]
