NFA Senior Amilia Wise-Sweat Commits to Run for Coastal Carolina!

NFA senior and student athlete, Amilia Wise-Sweat had several colleges reaching out recruiting her to join their college track team. Amilia had her own plans in mind when she reached out to Coastal Carolina with interest in their marine biology program at first. She has since signed her letter of national letter of intent to join Coastal Carolina's Division I track program and altered her academic focus slightly to the school's physical therapy program.

Amilia's NFA track coach, Kathi Workman was bursting with pride and tears of joy when speaking about Amilia's success. Coach Workman has been working with the student athlete since Amilia was in 8th grade. “She works very hard,” Workman said to the Mid-Hudson Times in an interview. “I don’t know anybody who can outkick her at the end. She just has to make sure she gives it her all during the whole race. She has so much more in her than even she realizes. So, I think once she starts trusting herself and knowing what she’s capable of doing, she’s going to be untouchable.”

Because of the current public health pandemic, Amilia hasn't been able to visit the campus in South Carolina. "While she admitted to a little bit of nerves committing without visiting, she said the coaches stood out and made her feel confident in her decision. What’s also important is the atmosphere amongst the team, which she described as a 'big old family,' which also drew her into the program. Even though she didn’t get to visit, members of the team have reached out to her over social media encouraging her to come there and join the team."

The Newburgh track team has a similar family dynamic. “In Newburgh, I love the girls on the track team,” Wise-Sweat said. “We’re all like a big family. We have a group chat and we always talk to each other. We’ve set up calls on Facetime, so we’re all really close. It’s going to be hard to leave.”

Wise-Sweat is a middle-distance runner and was in eighth grade when Workman started coaching the team. Her best event is the 800-meter run. She was at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships on March 8, where she finished 11th in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:59.08. She ran at the state meet in the 800 as a sophomore, finishing 18th in 2:17.37. She was also on the Goldbacks’ 14th place 4x400-meter relay. While she excels in the middle distance, she can run a 200-meter dash and she can run a mile. She can also run cross-country, which is a 3.1-mile course.

Read more about Amilia's decision and journey in the Mid-Hudson Times! Amilia Wise-Sweat picks Costal Carolina

ATTENTION: Are your scholars or colleagues doing something great? Please contact the district Communications Team at communications@necsd.net. We’d love to visit your class or event and/or post your pictures and recap to highlight the amazing accomplishments throughout our district!