Starting at the age of four, Kaitlin Salisbury ’20 already knew she was born to run. As a track and field athlete in the midst of her first indoor season with the Bison, Salisbury has maintained that passion for running.

“I ran everywhere as a little girl.  It didn’t matter where I was going or what I was doing but as long as I was running, I was happy,” Salisbury said.

Besides an innate love for the sport, running also has deep roots in her family that inspired her to pursue it. She recalls that her father sensed early on that his daughter had a future in the sport, and encouraged her to start competing.

“My father, Jerry, was a high and triple jumper in high school, and for him it made some of his best memories and friends. I wanted to follow in his footsteps,” Salisbury said.

Her already wildly successful college career was preceded by a long road of titles and work that led her here. Salisbury collected four gold medals in New Jersey’s Meet of Championships her sophomore and junior year. After beating all her personal bests during her senior year, Salisbury would finish off what would end up being a historic season by winning long jump and triple jump for the second year in a row along with a silver in the 100-meter dash. She is now part of New Jersey track and field history as one of two women to win both horizontal jumps two years in a row.

Just two months from the start of spring meets, Salisbury has continued to smash school and personal records in her collegiate career. Her college debut at the Bison Opener saw her set the school record for the 60 meter at 7.62 seconds. She was additionally able to snag a win in the 200 meter race, earning her a top-10 spot in the program. Salisbury met another top-10 program mark at the Bison Tri-Meet in long jump at 18-10 3.4. Both of these meets led her to receive Patriot League Female Rookie of the Week accolades.

But Salisbury doesn’t plan on having her record-breaking streak stop there.

“To set a school record as early as I have only means that now I’ve got to get even better. I have to bring [my times] down even more every time I run an event. It sets the rest of my year up to attempt and get even more records in my events, and I fully intend on breaking those records. I want my coaches to push me farther than I’ve ever been pushed before, and I can’t wait to see what the next four years bring,” Salisbury said.

Considering that it’s only Salisbury’s first indoor season with Bison track and field and she’s already making waves within both the program and the Patriot League, she certainly seems to be a force to be reckoned with throughout her four years with the Orange and Blue.