Jeffrey Love ’23 and his teammates are off to the races

It wasn’t lost on Connecticut College student-athletes that the COVID-19 pandemic was a worldwide phenomenon that hit some people much harder than others, causing loss of life, loss of health, and economic hardship in communities everywhere.

Yet, as lifelong athletes, they could see their athletic careers slipping away. However, thanks to the effectiveness of Conn’s health and safety protocols, most of Conn’s athletes were able to compete in 2020 when many schools did not.

Jeffrey Love ’23 and his cross-country teammates, though, never felt the thrill of competition during the 2019-2020 season.

“Not being able to compete was a huge loss for me last year. Training for months with no sign of competition was definitely difficult,” said Love, a double major in botany and economics.

“I hope that the work we as a team put in last year can finally be rewarded in a great way.”

Love and his teammates’ hard work is paying off this season.

The men’s team is ranked in the top 25, and earlier this fall the team finished sixth out of 41 schools in the Brown 8k Race at Lehigh’s prestigious Paul Short Run.

“When one Camel succeeds, we all succeed. It is our responsibility to uplift and hold each other accountable so that we all perform to our greatest ability,” said Love, who in 2019 earned All-NESCAC Second Team accolades.

Love attended Conn because he wanted to go somewhere that has similar values and beliefs to George School, a Quaker school he attended in ​​Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

“On my visit to Conn, I was able to see that it offered an experience that is as close to that ideal environment as I could get. After spending time with the team here, it became an easy decision for me.”