Bailey Gostomski came to college looking to grow as a student, athlete, and person of faith. She has succeeded in all three at Roberts Wesleyan College.
Gostomski, a senior on the women’s cross country and track and field teams, started competing in cross country as a sophomore at Cattaraugus-Little Valley High School and earned her first college cross-country win at the East Coast Conference Championships in October. She led the Redhawks by placing seventh at the NCAA Division II East Regionals and capped the season by finishing 115th at the NCAA Division II championships.
Not bad for someone who considers herself a middle-distance runner.
Gostomski also carries a 3.94 average as a computer science major and is Roberts’ Female Scholar Athlete of the Month for November. Gostomski had an internship in the Information Technology department at Roberts and may pursue a career in that field.
The valedictorian of her high school class, Gostomski’s college experience has been enriched by sharing it with her twin sister Abigail, who is also her teammate and roommate.
Gostomski took a few minutes to share her thoughts on her academic, athletic, and spiritual journey at Roberts Wesleyan College. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
How did you get started with distance running?
“I have always played sports, and I just loved running around with my siblings. Then, my older brother did track, and I just knew that I wanted to do that because I play a sport every season. I just kind of got into it after seeing my hard work showed in my times for cross country and track.”
ECC’s marked the first time in your life that you had ever won a cross-country race; how did that feel?
“It was really cool because I had never experienced that, and it was just cool that my hard work finally paid off, and I could see that in a race that I actually won.”
Was being named ECC Runner of the Year in cross country a big honor for you?
“Yeah, it definitely was because I am more of a track person and middle-distance person. It was just kind of special to be named that for cross country because it is for longer distances. It was really a good feeling to see how I improved in cross country.”
What has it meant to you having Abigail by you every step of the way through college and life?
“It’s meant a lot just to share in each other’s successes. It’s just extra special when we can celebrate together. We also help each other a lot with running and academics.”
Do you have any secrets to your success in balancing academics and athletics in college?
“The main thing is time management skills. I make sure that I set aside time to do my homework and just make sure that I get things done leading up to meets and when we travel.”
What is your favorite class that you are taking now?
“I am taking a class called Computer Organization and Architecture, so we are learning about the actual hardware of computers. It has been really interesting this semester.”
Why did you choose Roberts?
“I chose Roberts because I definitely wanted to go to a Christian college, and just by visiting here, I could definitely see that spiritual aspect in the team culture for cross country. I even saw it in the professors in talking to them that God is the most important part of their lives. I thought that it would be cool to see that in my academic life, too.”
How have you grown academically, athletically, and spiritually since coming to Roberts?
“I have grown in trusting the process and trusting in God’s plans. I know my own body and can race well for athletics. In trusting that I put in the effort, I will do well in my academics and spiritually; it’s just putting all of that trust in God. I have gotten a lot of peace in my growth throughout college.”
What can we look forward to seeing from you in the upcoming track season?
“Hopefully getting better times because I am definitely in the best shape that I have ever been. I just hope that I can improve upon what I have done in the past.”
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