After tireless meets, rainy practices, and hours of dedication, senior Claire Bachelder is officially committed to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, to continue her track career. Vassar is prestigious private liberal arts school. It’s known for its beautiful campus and high academic standards. It’s such an impressive accomplishment for Claire and so rewarding to see.
After usually playing lacrosse in the spring, Claire decided to join track in seventh grade alongside lacrosse. But after trying track for a year, she discovered she had a passion for the sport. “I ended up really liking it, so I switched to only track my eighth-grade year,” she said. Clearly this decision ended up being a life changing choice.
Claire gives a lot of credit to the people around her, specifically her parents, coach, and a relay team she was a part of freshman and sophomore years. “My biggest supporters have always been my parents. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their support,” she said. She also recognized how much her relay team with Amelia Schnirring, Margret Schnirring, and Callie Drew meant to her: “My relay team is a real reason I started to love track, and I owe a lot of my success to them and that team that I loved being a part of.” The relay team was very close and provided a sense of family, making it easy to perform well and have success.
The recruitment process wasn’t always easy for Claire. For a long time, she was conflicted if she even wanted to run in college. “The summer before my junior year, I filled out a recruiting questionnaire that introduced myself and gave my times,” she said. “Some coaches reached out through that, and I emailed others; it just depended on the school.” Things really started to become serious the summer before senior year, when she started talking and calling more coaches.
When it came time to pick which college she wanted to run track at, she had a few options: Wesleyan, Colorado College, and Swarthmore. But Vassar stood out to Claire. “What ultimately made me choose Vassar was the coaches and the athletes,” she said. “When I did an official visit, I could immediately see myself there. I also fell in love with the campus and think it’s absolutely beautiful.” Vassar was the clear choice for Claire and was the place she was meant to end up at.
Vassar provides the team chemistry Claire values so much. One of Claire’s close teammates, junior Campbell Coyne, described her as “sweet, kindhearted, and fun,” but also someone who keeps everyone motivated. “Claire is a great teammate, always able to cheer you up or convince you to keep working hard,” she said. And everyone on the track team would completely agree. Vassar’s track team is so lucky to have her and her team spirit and kindness.
Now that the whole process is over, Claire feels relieved and like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. “It’s a huge relief not to have to worry about other applications and college trips,” she said. “The biggest relief for me is that all my work in high school paid off, and I get to spend the next four years at the place I completely love.”
Although Claire didn’t always picture herself even running track in college, she said, “Now it makes so much sense to me. It’s exactly where I want to be and the college experience I was hoping for.”
Claire is known for being one of the most hardworking athletes on the field, court, or track. Her time, dedication, attitude, and energy make her deserving of the accomplishment of committing to a college for track. We all know she’s going to do great things at Vassar.
