As the college application season comes to an end, college acceptance letters are making their ways to WA. Many seniors are still unsure where they want to go to for college next year, let alone what they want to major in, but senior Adam Mullen has officially committed to Connecticut College for running.

Mullen has been running for six years, starting in sixth grade, and plans to continue for as long as he can. He runs throughout the year, participating in cross country during the fall and outdoor track in the spring. His skill comes from practicing every day of the week.

“My whole family has been really big in running, my mom ran in college and my aunt and uncle are both Olympians,” Mullen said.

Mullen was the captain of the WA cross country team last fall along with seniors Sean Doherty and Jason Dolan. His coaches were Phil Archambault and Scott Hafferkamp.

“I’ve always noticed how hard Adam works at practice, and he’s an incredibly enthusiastic teammate. When the weather is cold or there’s a hard workout, he’s keeps the team morale high and helps get us through it. It’s going to be super exciting to see where his running career goes in college,” Doherty said.

Along with practices, cross country and outdoor track have meets at least twice a week. During his sophomore year, Mullen qualified for All-States with his team.

“[The meet was] a great experience. I met the toughest and best runners in the state, it was an awesome experience,” Mullen said.

Most athletes have an off-season where they do not play or compete in a sport. However, Mullen does not have much time off from running. In the winter, he runs 3 days a week and also is part of the WA Swim team in which he goes to practice every day of the week.

There are many reasons why Mullen chose to commit to Connecticut College. Its academic rigor and running team are just a few aspects of the college he is drawn to. Mullen wanted to use his running to get him into the most difficult school he could get into. Connecticut College has one of the best economic programs in the country, which is his intended major. Mullen also went to Connecticut College for a recruitment trip in the fall where he was able to meet Luke Maher, the coach, and other runners. This experience surely helped him to decide to enroll at the college.

“I think it will be a great experience to be able to run with some of the best runners. I really liked the team, I thought the coach was a great guy,” Mullen said.

Mullen has loved his time as a runner and student at WA and hopes to start a new chapter at Connecticut College.

“[Running has] been a great experience, great coaching, the coaches are always pushing me to do the best I can. I just use it as an experience and get the most out of it. I hope I get PR’s [personal records] in college and keep running fast,” Mullen said.