Winthrop lacrosse player Janie Spicer steps out of her comfort zone to become the school’s sole dual-sport athlete.
Natalia Barthel
Staff Writer
Sports
Balancing school and a Division I sport is hard, yet somehow Janie Spicer, a junior majoring in chemistry at Winthrop University, balances two Division I sports.
Spicer is taking on a second sport, balancing the demands of Division I lacrosse, track, and a chemistry major, making her the only dual-sport athlete at Winthrop.
Spicer ran track her junior and senior years of high school and loved it, but she did not expect to compete in it again once she arrived at Winthrop. She missed it more than she thought she would.
“I didn’t realize how much I would miss it until I got to college and constantly found myself reminiscing on my track memories,” Spicer said.
Her lacrosse teammates joked that she should join the track team, but Spicer never gave it much thought. She did not think she was good enough to compete at the Division I level, and she did not think she could manage two sports.
Tori, a former Winthrop teammate who is now a graduate assistant coach, changed that. Tori played lacrosse and soccer at Winthrop, and Spicer watched her handle both while succeeding in the classroom and leading her teammates.
“She gave me a lot of confidence that I could maybe do the same with lacrosse and track,” Spicer said. “If it wasn’t for her, the support of my coaches, and the encouragement from my friends and family, I don’t think I ever would have found myself in this position.”
Spicer’s training looks different from that of most runners on the team. She does not train with the cross country group. She works with the 800 group, which runs far less volume, and her coach barely tracks her mileage. Spicer joins the group on the track Mondays and Fridays and runs miles of two to five on Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Wednesday is lacrosse conditioning, so she adds nothing, and Thursday is a full day off.
“It looks way different than what my other girls are doing,” said Coach Aidan Fiol, the head coach for cross country and assistant coach for track, “Might it be 100% optimal for cross country? No, and it’s definitely forced me to get out of my comfort zone, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
The two coaching staffs do not coordinate much beyond the track team asking whether Spicer can race. The teams share an athletic trainer and a strength coach, who both work together to monitor Spicer’s workload.
“She’s someone who will always try to do more if she’s able, but a lot of times it’s about doing the opposite to ensure she can adapt to both training stimuli,” Coach Fiol said. “They do a good job of having her rein it in when she needs to.”
The work is paying off on the lacrosse field. Spicer said the tack training has improved her conditioning.
“I feel like I’m able to run faster for longer periods now, which is very beneficial when it comes to lacrosse,” Spicer said. “The tough workouts I’ve done with track have made scary lacrosse conditioning seem less intimidating now too.”
Her coach sees a different advantage in how she races. Cross country is less about times, since every course is different, and more about beating people head to head. Many runners overthink it and fixate on their pacing, but Spicer arrived without those habits.
“She’s very driven, very competitive,” Fiol said. “She doesn’t have to unlearn any of that, and just goes in and competes hard.”
Spicer said she is still adjusting to the workload, but two things have helped. One is a “one thing at a time” mindset that keeps her present and keeps her from feeling overwhelmed. The other is her planner.
“I’m the type of person who loves writing stuff down and making to-do lists, so having an organized calendar has made staying on top of things so much easier,” Spicer said.
She also credits the people around her. When asked about the hardest part of balancing everything, Spicer pointed to her teammates, coaches, and family, who she said makes the days easier.
Spicer said being a dual-sport athlete has not changed her perspective, since every athlete on her team works hard regardless of how many sports they play, but it has made her more grateful.
“Not everyone has the chance to play one sport, let alone two,” Spicer said.
Her coach said the experience builds skills that reach beyond the track. “I think work ethic and time management are two huge ones,” Fiol said. “It’s hard enough to be a single sport student athlete, and a lot of people can’t even manage that.”
For Spicer, the most rewarding part is representing Winthrop in every way she can.
“I love this school and all the opportunities it’s given me, so being able to compete while wearing Winthrop across my chest has made all the long days worth it,” Spicer said.
