By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- She arrived at Bridgewater State University for the fall semester in 2021 and had to make an immediate decision.

Lily Valcovic (East Taunton, Mass.) wanted to continue a running career that began as a youngster, but her freshman year at BSU figured to be hectic.

Valcovic had to balance academics as an elementary education and English major while being a commuter student who had a part-time job.

Joining the Bears' women's cross country team had been part of her original plan, but as the academic year was about to begin, Valcovic had second thoughts.

"I was supposed to be on the team, but the day before it started, I called the coach and said that I've decided I'm not going to do it anymore," recalled Valcovic. "I was just really overwhelmed with commuting and everything and I didn't know how I was going to balance it all.

"I had classes every day and I work. When I was a freshman, I didn't think I could do all that."

Running, however, had always been a big part of Valcovic's life, thanks to her grandfather, the late Mike McCarty, who coached at the former Coyle-Cassidy High School.

As that '21 BSU cross country season unfolded without her, Valcovic missed running with each passing day.

"I remember there was something like a light switch clicked on like, 'Why am I not doing this?'" said Valcovic, who is now a senior. "I had competed since middle school until that one season. I needed to be part of the team, part of something, and I missed it."

So Valcovic got right back into it, becoming a member of the BSU indoor track & field team that winter for the 2021-22 season.

She found a way to make it all work -- the academics and the commuting and the job and the training -- and is now a senior at BSU taking part in her third cross country season this fall.

Valcovic has competed in 11 cross country meets during her Bears' career and has been the team's second-fastest runner in five of them while being the third-fastest BSU runner in the other six races.

She was on the All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference team a year ago with a fifth-place finish, helping the Bears to a runner-up finish at the championship meet.

"My days are pretty packed," said Valcovic, "but it's worth it."

Valcovic was in middle school when she caught the running bug, and it was her grandfather who helped to get her going.

"My grandfather was big in running, coached, and when I was able to start running, he got me into it quickly and my mom (Kyla, who ran at Coyle-Cassidy) was a big runner, too," said Valcovic.

"He is definitely the one who got me into it. I was the only one out of my siblings that took it up. He tried to get us all into it, but I was the only one who stuck with it from middle school.

"I think more so at the start, it was just something cool that he and I did and then my mom got involved. I don't think I really understood what running did until later. I was just excited to share something with him and my mom."

Valcovic ran five years at Taunton High, starting as an eighth grader, and kept getting better deeper into her career.

As a sophomore at BSU in 2022, Valcovic was the Bears' third-best runner three times and the second-fastest runner at a meet in Westfield.

Her times continued decreasing last season when Valcovic was fifth at the MASCAC Championships to earn all-conference honors with a time of 20:19.44, and she had a personal-best 24:37 as the third-fastest BSU runner at the East Regional.

In the Bears' 2024 season opener, Valcovic was BSU's second-best runner behind Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass.) at the Wheaton & Babson Season Opener, lowering her time by 20 seconds from a year earlier.

During the 2023-2024 indoor and outdoor track & field season, Valcovic reached personal bests in the 1,500-meter run (5:09.01), mile (5:35.97), 3.000-meter run (11:41.74) and 5,000-meter run (19:18.81).

"It's been a progressive build," said BSU coach Christine Kloiber. "She's worked really hard to chip away and be a consistent 19-minute 5K runner. She's in the best shape she's ever been in right now."

"Her confidence has improved. She asks questions. She wants to know what's going to be the best decision for what she does. She is really focused on her goals. Those are things you need in a very challenging sport.

"Distance running is patience and consistency. She's become a student of understanding what the goals are for these workouts, how she should conceptualize her training. It's not a surprise if she continues to get better because she has invested in herself and understands what she's doing."

A four-time MASCAC All-Academic Team selection, Valcovic will graduate in May but is returning to BSU to pursue a Master's degree and wants to be an elementary school teacher.

She has one season of eligibility remaining for cross country and indoor track & field but is undecided about what will happen next year.

"She is the epitome of the student-athlete," said Kloiber. "She's doing her classes, working a part-time job, commuting and making sure she's creating a schedule so she can get everything in."

Valcovic is thrilled, however, that she came back to running after not doing so that first semester as a freshman.

"Put running aside, I've made so many friends that I would have never met," said Valcovic. "I've created friends I'll have forever. Running wise, I'm very proud that I did it. I've reached goals that I didn't think I would. I'm very happy I decided to do it. It's been a lot, but it's been worth it."