“Quit” isn’t in the vocabulary of College of Idaho sophomore Molly Vitale-Sullivan.
The student-athlete from Pocatello, Idaho has been plagued with injury concerns throughout her running career, and yet the determined mathematics-physics major has regularly run through the pain, even finishing her high school career with a third top-five finish at the 4A Cross Country State Championships while battling through plantar fasciitis in her left foot — an issue she had surgically corrected in the midst of her senior track and field season at Pocatello High.
Yet Vitale-Sullivan bounced back. Her freshman year, she earned NAIA All-America honors twice — once at the 2017 NAIA Indoor National Championships with a seventh place finish in the 5,000-meters, and again at 2017 Outdoor National Championships, placing third in the same event. She continued to improve, never allowing her sights to slip away from her goals.
And at this year’s Indoor National Championships on March 3, she achieved a career milestone by becoming the College’s second individual indoor national champion in program history. Vitale-Sullivan blasted away the competition in the 5,000-meters, taking home the title in 17:21.75 — a full 17 seconds ahead of the nearest finisher. And even after all the hard work she put in to make it to that point, Vitale-Sullivan couldn’t quite believe it as she crossed the finish line.
“I was just surprised, actually,” Vitale-Sullivan recalled. “Everything still feels really new, even being at nationals in the first place…[but] knowing I’m wearing a C of I jersey and representing my school, a great school, it means a lot. It was great to have my teammates there with my coaches cheering me on.”
As a distance runner, Vitale-Sullivan knows the value of staying focused, which extends to her regular routine. She trains six days a week, doing a special combination of running, swimming and weight lifting designed to avoid aggravating any injury while maximizing her improvements without wearing her body down. Even her diet is focused, particularly as a long-time vegetarian since the age of seven.
“We do get enough calories, I promise,” Vitale-Sullivan joked. “I’ve been a vegetarian for so long that it hasn’t been a hard transition for me. I just have to remember to take iron, because being a distance runner, it’s depleted really easily.”
On top of her packed training schedule, Vitale-Sullivan spends time as a student-researcher in Boone Hall, working in independent studies in organic chemistry and interning through Idaho INBRE last summer.
“It’s a lot of back and forth,” Vitale-Sullivan said. “In the summertime, it was like ‘get your workout done, then get to the lab.’ It was making sure you’re ready for the next day and the next challenge.”
Despite her busy schedule between her training regimen and her academic commitments, Vitale-Sullivan wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It can be really challenging, and you have to make sure you’re taking care of yourself, too,” Vitale-Sullivan said. “I actually kind of like it because it forces you to keep yourself accountable and making sure you’re getting everything done. You’re so busy that you have no time to waste. It takes a lot of discipline, and it can be hard at times, but it’s good.”
Already, Vitale-Sullivan is looking towards her next goals. Even with a national championship to her name, she dismisses any notion of plateauing.
“There’s always a new goal and a new line to work towards,” she said. “You don’t just stop halfway through college and call it good. I think that there’s a lot of good competition in the NAIA, and it will definitely be a challenge this outdoor season to keep doing well. The team for cross country has so much potential to grow.”
With two years left as an undergraduate, Vitale-Sullivan has plenty of time left to reach new peaks, even as she already considers a career path after graduation in pursuit of an engineering degree, and perhaps a stint in the Peace Corps.
“It’s less about feeling pressure and more just curiosity to see how good I can become,” Vitale-Sullivan said. “This is something that I hope to carry with me for as long as I’m able to keep it up.”
Watch Vitale-Sullivan’s national championship winning run here!
The College of Idaho has a 127-year-old legacy of excellence. The C of I is known for its outstanding academic programs, winning athletics tradition and history of producing successful graduates, including seven Rhodes Scholars, three governors, four NFL players and countless business leaders and innovators. Its distinctive PEAK Curriculum challenges students to attain competency in the four knowledge peaks of humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field—empowering them to earn a major and three minors in four years. The College’s close-knit, residential campus is located in Caldwell, where its proximity both to Boise and to the world-class outdoor activities of southwest Idaho’s mountains and rivers offers unique opportunities for learning beyond the classroom. For more information, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.