Three years ago, Claire Crowther had never heard of linguistics and had no plans to run in college.

Today, she is an expert in the field and a record-breaker on the track.

How she got there: by working hard, gaining confidence and learning to do just what she is passionate about.

 “Do what you love, don't do what you don't,” the Wellesley, MA native says. “College goes by too fast to invest your time and energy in things you don't care about.”

Crowther has mastered the skill of balancing her time and energy between academics and athletics. For her excellence both in the classroom and on the track, Crowther has earned the 2012 Lysle “Spike” Garnish Award.

If it weren't for her passion to pursue just what she thoroughly enjoys, then Crowther would have never made her start in linguistics. Two years ago, an interest in language convinced her to take Linguistics 110, Introduction to Linguistic Analysis, and fascination in the course material motivated her to take more linguistics classes and turn the subject into a major.

“I've liked everything about my major thus far,” Crowther, who also has a minor in French, says. “The department is made up of some great faculty, my classes have been really interesting and the students in my classes have been really interested, which always makes for a nice classroom environment.”

But Crowther has studied linguistics outside of the classroom, too. This past summer, she interned at a text analytics software company, working in the foreign language department with French, Spanish and Portuguese to test models and analyze results for possible improvements. And last fall, she participated in a language and culture immersion program in Morocco, North Africa.

“Studying abroad gave me a whole new perspective on the world and a new understanding of myself,” Crowther says. “It helped me learn to stand up for myself and taught me about living at a more relaxed pace of life, not killing myself to get last credits or things like that. It's very easy to get caught up in all the little things, so it's always good to stop and take a second to remember what my semester was like.”

Crowther often stops to remember what she genuinely enjoys about track and field, too. Since she started running her sophomore year of high school, she has liked both the individual and team aspects of the competition. She loves enhancing her friendships, seeing her hard work pay off, staying active and constantly working toward new goals.

Crowther, a member of the a cappella group Vocal Point, has already achieved various goals, despite serious injuries. As a rookie, she was part of the New York state champion 4-by-400 relay. Her sophomore season, she notched the second-fastest time in the 500 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference, running the event in just under 1:18. The same year, Crowther was crowned state champion of the 500, 800, 4-by-400 and 4-by-800, which clocked in at 9:19.80 and set a school record for the relay.

As a junior, she snapped a school record in the 4-by-400 relay and set a career best in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing in 1:04.20 and earning a spot in the event's top 50 national times.

Crowther's success is largely the result of her diligence and enthusiasm — whether doing an interval workout, going for a run in Genesee Valley Park or weightlifting, she remains focused and eager.

Eager, this year, to improve her endurance in the 800 and her speed in the 400.

“Each of my years here, I've had different experiences and have learned different lessons,” she says. “They've all been equally important. I'd say my sophomore year sticks out in my mind as the most successful, but my junior year sticks out in my mind as the most valuable. Going abroad in the fall definitely had a negative impact on my running and put me behind where I had hoped to start the season. But it reinforced lessons about discipline and has made me more focused than ever for my senior year.”