NAME: Matt Lacombe
400– 52.9
800– 1:59
1600– 4:30
3200– 9:55
5kxc– 16:47
College PR’s
Mile– 4:30
3000– 9:17
5k– 15:49
8kxc– 28:03
10k– 33:45
Major: Political Science and Economics
High School: Gilmour Academy
Hometown: Cleveland
What other Colleges were you looking at?
Boston College and Miami
Why did you decide on Allegheny?
Academically, the personal attention that students get from professors is a major bonus. You are not treated as a number here in any way. Financially, Allegheny offers students a great deal of aid, which played a role in my decision. Running was what put my decision over the top. At the bigger schools I was looking at, I would have had the opportunity to walk on but would not have been a valued member of the team, at the least at the start of it. The opportunity to come into a program I believe in and be given the attention I need to develop led me to pick Allegheny.
How did you go about choosing your major?
I knew coming in that I was very interested in Political Science and had a feeling it would be my major. I was encouraged by my advisor to take some courses in areas that I didn’t have a great deal of knowledge about to see if they interest me. I took an entry level Economics course and became very interested immediately. The professors in that department were very helpful in letting me know what I would need to do to complete a double major and helped me out a lot in making that decision.
What do you plan to do after you graduate from Allegheny?
I plan to attend law school and possibly get into a combination program where I could obtain my law degree and an MBA in four years.
How has being on a successful track and/or cross country team helped you with school?
Running competitively forces you to manage your time well. There are a few occasions where the time commitment involved with running makes school more difficult, but on a daily basis, school is made easier because of running due to the routine it puts you in. When you know what time you will be at practice each day and what time you will need to go to bed, you also know the times in which you need to do school work. That routine has been the key to my success so far. Also, we are lucky to be part of an athletic department that values academics. Coach Ross is very willing to work with you when you have academic conflicts that force you to sometimes miss practice. So far, I have not passed on any academic opportunities I’ve been presented with due to the rigors of running.
What unique opportunities have you had through attending Allegheny (internships, research, etc...)?
This year I am a student fellow in the Allegheny Center for Political Participation. This opportunity is unique in that, really, it found me. I was recommended to the CPP by one of my FS professors who I became close with. Without his recommendation, I would most likely not be involved in the CPP and prestigious internship it gave me. Basically, the small school atmosphere here makes it easy for students to become aware of opportunities to better themselves that they probably wouldn’t have otherwise known about.
You can find Matt's Track Bio here
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