Carapella’s strong performance at invitational leads to Athlete of Week
Besting your own accomplishments is sometimes a tough thing to do. It is necessary to go above and beyond just to get that extra boost. Indoor Track and Field athlete AJ Carapella’s success on the track has earned him Athlete of the Week honors.
The Lakers had a great performance Sunday at the Syracuse invitational. Carapella placed third in the 200-meter dash with a 22.99 second finish time and a 6.77 second time in the 55-meter.
Tosh’s finish under 23 seconds in the 200-meter dash has qualified the Oswego State for the ECAC championships, which will take place March 5-6.
"I was happy to see the under 23," Carapella said. "I had never done that before."
Carapella attended high school at CW Baker in Baldwinsville, where he discovered running during his sophomore year. He was under the impression that track and field was just long distance running but joined when he realized there were short events. As a football player he was already used to short exertions of energy and sprinting, so the event came naturally to him.
Carapella owes much of his success to his high school coach Oscar Jensen, who was voted as National Coach of the Year and to the Greater Syracuse Hall of Fame. On top of these achievements, he also coached a few Olympian throwers.
As an athlete under Jensen, Carapella listened to his every word because of his success in the professional world.
Carapella has broken Oswego State records for the 4×100 and 4×200 relays, which is a great honor to the senior.
"Our names will always be here in history until someone can break them," Carapella said.
His success, especially in the relays, is not just a factor of his skill alone. It is a team effort and everyone feeds off the success of others.
Carapella is always looking to do better. In order to break his times, he completes some high-intensity workouts. They consist of heavier weights and shorter breaks in between sprints. Like any other athlete he always recognizes that there is a "hunger to do more" and to "be better," which he strives for on and off the track.
