Senior track sprinter and psychology major Bridget Sanchez is without a doubt an accomplished individual. Whether it’s her 4.0 GPA, her outstanding track career or her volunteer work, this Eastern student-athlete is far from ordinary.

One of six recipients of the 2010-11 Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Award, Sanchez is also a part of the women’s 4×400-meter relay team that broke Eastern’s indoor record this past weekend at the Grand Valley State Big Meet.

On top of that, she ranks second all-time in Eastern history in the 400-meter dash and fifth all-time for the indoor 200-meter dash. Outdoors, she holds the third best record in Eastern history for the 400-meter dash and the fifth best for the 200-meter dash.

Sanchez is a member of six OVC Championship teams, winning three indoor and three outdoor. She says her class is looking to become the first class ever in the OVC to win the conference championship all four years.

When it comes to academics, Sanchez is as successful, if not more, maintaining a 4.0 GPA. She is also the president of Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society, a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been named to both the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Eastern’s College of Science Dean’s List in her three previous years.

Sanchez credits much of her success to her background. Her family’s struggles to make it to America are what drive her.

“No one in my family has gone to college,” Sanchez said. “I feel I have so many opportunities that my family fought for and got here for. I feel like I have a responsibility to uphold them. I do it because I’m investing in my future and taking advantage of all the opportunities that my family came to this country for.”

Sanchez said the extreme workload of both athletics and academics helps her be so successful.

“I think track really does help me keep my life in balance,” Sanchez said. “I come in at 2 to get rehab, and then 3-to-6 I’m at practice, and from 6-7 I’m getting treatment for any injuries I have. So from 2-to-7, I know that time block is out. So because of that I keep my schedule so consistent.”

When she isn’t practicing or studying, Sanchez is helping with Upward Bound, a program that aids underprivileged high school students in the transition to a college lifestyle. She stays in Charleston for most of the summer to take part in this, and still keeps in touch with the people she has helped over the past three years.

Amazingly, Sanchez still is able to find time for a social life. She doesn’t have to go too far to find one, either. She said her track teammates are so close that they consider themselves a family.

“The track team is my social life,” Sanchez said. “We are a huge family and we’re all friends. So when we go to practice, lifting or meets we’re always socializing. We take care of the business that we need to, but even on weekends we’re still talking to our teammates. We just can’t get away from each other.”

With the indoor season winding down, and the outdoor season approaching, Sanchez said she wants to accomplish, first, as a team, winning their fourth OVC championships for both indoor and outdoor. Individually, she hopes to break the school record for the 400-meter dash outdoor event, which she noted, is .5 seconds away from. Sanchez also has her sights set on breaking the school record for the 4×400-meter relay.

“We took it indoors and we’ve been saying that since our freshman year that we were going to take it down, so it would be really nice to get both 4×4 indoor and outdoor records,” Sanchez said.

In academics, she plans on graduating with her 4.0 GPA even though she has taken on more responsibilities this year. She is determined to finish what she started and end her college career on a strong note.

After she graduates college, Sanchez plans to enter the workforce with her degree. She is interested in becoming a school social worker for a year to gain some experience. She says that after that she will go back to graduate school and accomplish what she set out to do.

Anthony Catezone can be reached at 581-7942 or at ajcatezone@eiu.edu.