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Lewisburg standout Espinosa commits to run track at Penn State

CHRIS MANNING/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg’s Baylee Espinosa, right, celebrates winning state gold this past May at Shippensburg at the PIAA Class AA track and field championships. Espinosa committed to run track and field at Penn State.

Lewisburg’s Baylee Espinosa has proven that she’s one of the district’s top runners. Last spring she took home three gold medals at the District 4 track and field championships and then a week later, won state gold medals and broke the school record in the 1,600 which her mom held in the early 2000s.

Being that talented on a track meant that colleges would come knocking and hoping to recruit her into their programs. And thus began a long recruiting process with numerous trips to Division I programs.

“This past year, I have gotten to learn so much about myself amidst navigating the recruiting process. I talked to state schools with relatively big campuses like the University of Connecticut, University of North Caroline, University of Wisconsin, University of New Mexico and of course: Penn State,” Espinosa said. “I also considered some prestigious private universities like Villanova, Vanderbilt, Duke and the University of Pennsylvania. I even dabbled in the armed forces with the Army and Air Force academies.

“However, I was eventually able to narrow my focus from schools that fit my academic and athletic needs to begin to determine the financial and cultural aspects I was looking for as well,” Espinosa continued.

All those trips and talks with coaches resulted with Espinosa staying in the Keystone State and committing to running track at Penn State University.

“At Penn State, every day I will get to run and train with a top-15 program in the country. I will have access to state-of-the-art facilities, restorative recovery rooms, nutritious fuel stations and so much more. I will attend classes relative to my pursuit to be a sports psychologist, and have numerous resources and research opportunities available to me,” the Green Dragon senior said. “The student body also has a tremendous amount of school pride — translating to an extensive alumni network. Ultimately, I chose Penn State for its high-quality academics, committed team culture and, of course, the exquisite ice cream.”

One thing Espinosa is thankful for is being able to get the college commitment out of the way as she prepares for her senior year in track and field. Instead of worrying about what college to choose as the track season begins, she can focus on breaking more school records and taking home a few more district or state gold medals before she stops wearing a green and white uniform.

“I am so happy to have verbally committed to college. The decision was very challenging for me to make, and it definitely feels like a weight has been lifted off of me,” Espinosa said. “I am looking forward to being able to focus more of my energy towards my teammates and running, with an additional sense of security in my future plans.”

The Green Dragon track standout follows in her mom’s footsteps as well. Her mom, the former Ashleigh Wetzel, ran at Vanderbilt in track and field and now Espinosa is also a Division I runner in the family. It’s something Espinosa noted gave her a great sense of accomplishment, especially with how much she looks up to her mom as a runner, mother and person.

Overall, being able to compete at the Division I level is something Espinosa is more thank grateful and thankful to be able to do and continue to compete in a sport she’s come to love.

“Being able to compete at the Division I level in college feels like a dream come true. I am beyond grateful to have been blessed with this opportunity, and I am absolutely thrilled that I get to be a part of such a strong team,” Espinosa said. “Throughout my college recruitment process the Big Ten conference was described to me as a semi-professional league and I am super excited to be able to race at such a competitive level.”

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