D’Essence Burnett, a junior biology major and Spanish minor, remains busy as she competes in both soccer as a forward or striker and track and field as a long sprinter at Winthrop.
“I will say, doing two sports is not very easy, but it is doable,” Burnett said. “It is a way to keep yourself busy and in shape, but in doing so, I have to stay aligned with the schedule I have at the beginning of every week so that I don’t feel too flustered. It can also be difficult with the very different environments and coaching styles.”
Burnett comes from a family of athletes. Her parents played basketball in college, and her younger brother has followed in their footsteps in playing basketball. However, when attempting to play basketball at a young age, Burnett found that she did not have that talent.
“Because of that, I wanted to be a part of something that my family was not, and that is when I became fascinated with soccer,” Burnett said. “There is no better feeling than seeing the ball in the back of the net and boosting your team’s energy to try and do it all over again.”
While playing soccer during her years in elementary school, she was invited by a track coach to come to a practice because they thought she was good.
“That is when I was first introduced to track. After that, I stayed consistent with soccer and did track whenever I had free gaps in my schedule,” Burnett said.
“I think my favorite thing about track is the atmosphere. It is a great feeling when you are competing, and you hear your teammates cheering and rooting for you no matter what,” she said.
Burnett said that the transition from competing in high school to the college level was difficult.
“For soccer, it took me a couple weeks to adjust to competing at the college level. But for track, I will say I am still adjusting,” Burnett said. “It is hard to try to compete with other athletes who have pretty much devoted their whole lives to track when you are someone who just does it in alternating season.”
When training in the offseason, Burnett said she focuses on taking care of and paying more attention to her body.
“If I have lingering injuries, I try to get them taken care of before returning to competition. I also pick up the intensity in working out as I am getting ready to return to college competing,” Burnett said.
Burnett competed in the 200- and 400-meter races at the Marshall Invitational this past weekend. Prior to the meet, she said she hoped to run faster than she did the week before and gain a new PR.
“This season in track, I hope to make it to Conference for both indoor and outdoor season,” Burnett said. “I’m looking forward to meeting my goals individually as well as team goals and to make more memories with my teammates.”
The women’s soccer team finished its season in October, while track and field started its season in December. Winthrop will be hosting the Winthrop/Adidas Invitational from March 24-26.
