Thursday April 25, 2024 
Scholar Athlete Of The Week By Tyler Michaels
AVERILL PARK – This week’s Scholar Athlete of the Week is Lydia Munandi. Lydia is a captain on the Varsity Outdoor Track and Field team, and also participates in Indoor Track and Field. Within her sport, Lydia runs a variety of races; including the 100m, 200m, 400m, the 4x100m relay, and the 4x400m relay. Lydia began running in fourth grade after one of her friends beat her in a “Blue Ribbon Race”. Wanting to overcome her friend next year, Lydia began to improve her running and loved the sport. Lydia joined her first track and field team in eighth grade, and has been participating since then. To prepare for her season Lydia would lift weights over the summer with the soccer athletes, and went to preseason workouts that Coach Gobel would host. Lydia’s favorite part about her sport is the sense of community that emerges from a team. With such a strong bond between runners, Lydia has found that her team functions as a family. For Lydia, the most difficult part about her sport is finding the motivation to keep improving herself. However, her teammates inspire her to push further and continue running faster. In her sophomore year, Lydia’s team managed to break the 4×100 relay record in the school. This year, Lydia worked hard to get herself back into shape like she was before the pandemic. Lydia hopes to continue improving into the future.
In addition to her athletic success, Lydia excels academically. Lydia has a 93 GPA while taking a rigorous course load, including Advanced Placement Biology and Advanced Placement Government and Politics. This year, Lydia found it difficult to maintain two different science classes and college calculus with virtual learning incorporated. However, Lydia worked hard and managed to finish her senior year on the high honor roll. To balance her time, Lydia has learned how to manage her time between school and sports. Lydia is also a member of the National Honor Society and the Student Athlete Advisory Council.
Lydia’s friend Caryn is one of her biggest inspirations to work harder. Lydia and Caryn have been with each other since eighth grade, and they have constantly pushed each other to improve themselves. Lydia’s parents also help inspire her to work hard. Even through a senior year that was completely different than expected, Lydia’s parents supported her constantly. Lydia would advise a younger athlete to, “trust your gut, and don’t overthink things. It’s just a race and you’re there to have fun, as long as you get from point A to point B, you’re good!” Next year, Lydia will attend Hudson Valley Community College with a major in biology. We wish Lydia the best as she prepares for college.
