Bucknell University Athletics
Tolli Aims for Perfection in the Classroom and on the Track
1/22/2013 7:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Jan. 22, 2013
By Becky Hart, Bucknell Athletic Communications
As a junior, Caroline Tolli needed just one race to break two records. Running the third leg of the 4x800 at the 2012 Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Tolli helped Bucknell's relay to the best time in program and conference history. It was also her fourth career individual Patriot League title, but the track isn't even where Tolli shines the brightest. Now in the middle of her senior year, Tolli is looking to maintain a perfect record of a different kind with a 4.0 grade-point average, and she has all the accolades to match.
Between cross country and track, Tolli's lengthy list of honors includes a pair of All-Patriot League First Team selections in cross country, five all-league citations in indoor and outdoor track and an All-East certificate in the outdoor 4x800. The only part of Tolli's resume that reads longer than her athletic accomplishments is the one that showcases her awards in the classroom.
A double-major in education and Spanish, Tolli was also working towards a minor in religion until recently. She's now pursuing a different minor in Latin American studies, but the move has not affected her GPA. Through her first six semesters at Bucknell, Tolli maintained a perfect 4.0 average so it's no surprise then that she has been named to both the Dean's List and Patriot League Academic Honor Roll six times in her career. Others have taken note as well. The conference's sports information directors have voted her onto the Academic All-Patriot League Team four times, and she swept the Scholar-Athlete of the Year ballots for indoor and outdoor track last season. Tolli has also been selected for the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District Team twice, advancing her to the national ballot for Academic All-America. That success has become status quo for Tolli, but that doesn't mean it isn't appreciated.
"It's not something that I seek when I do my work, but I think it's nice to know that the effort I`m putting in has paid off," says Tolli during a break from final exam preparation.
Tolli's recipe for success is a simple one and the main ingredients are that effort along with a hearty helping of time management perfected while starring in track and swimming at Lockport High School in her native New York.
"I just try to prioritize things. Sometimes that means not doing schoolwork to talk to a friend or having to wait because of a practice or things like that," explains Tolli. "It's about making the most of the time that I do have and trying to be efficient, being focused and giving my best effort with the time that I do have. It's also helpful to have teammates who are in the same boat. They're trying to balance all the same things as you are, so you can do work on the bus together and not feel bad about it or in the hotel room when we're away for meets.
"My parents taught me a lot about putting forth your best effort in whatever you do and working hard," Tolli continues. "That has generated good outcomes for me, so I'm pleased with that."
Tolli is not the only member of the family to learn those valuable lessons from parents Tim, an All-American runner at Buffalo State, and Karen. Her older brother Lyle was the 2008 Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Track Athlete of the Meet while competing at Colgate. After last winter, Caroline and Lyle became the first siblings in Patriot League history to both be named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year in track.
"My parents were around, not working a ton of hours," Tolli recalls of her childhood when her dad was a teacher and her mom stayed at home after her oldest sister was born. "That was great for us, to be available if we needed help with our homework or things like that. When I was in elementary school, my dad went back to college, so I think that was a really good example of how to go after something that you really want and care about. They set great examples for us."
The Tolli children also followed their parents' lead by pursuing education as part of their own college studies. Lyle earned his master's degree to teach English and Caroline is less than a year away from her own degree in education. The Bison is not likely to be found in a classroom after graduation, however. Despite being an education major at Bucknell from the start, she has taken a less traditional path over the years.
"I came in doing elementary education, but then I started to take some of the more specialized methods courses and I quickly realized that I could not see myself planning lessons. But at the same time I still love to work with kids," explains Tolli. "I think as I continue in education and try to think about what I want to do with that degree, I see myself working more in a type of social work position using the knowledge I've gained about development and community partnerships."
Tolli started down that route two summers ago when she accepted an internship with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship working at a city homeless shelter.
"I think I had this ... partially fear but also stereotypes of what a homeless person's life had consisted of," says Tolli. "It's so different when you sit down and talk with people and learn their stories and realize they're not that different than you. That was really eye-opening."
Tolli's professional experiences continued last summer when she returned home to work with the local Big Brothers/Big Sisters collecting first-hand knowledge of case work, fundraising and building relationships between social service agencies and the community.
Just as her academic goals have changed during her time at Bucknell, Tolli has seen her role with Bison distance running shift as well. An 800-meter specialist in high school, Tolli has taken on longer distances in Lewisburg. The move from middle distance paid off, most noticeably in the last two years.
Last season as a junior, Tolli inked her name on the track program record lists nine times. Among those was the 1,000 meters where she clocked in at 2:54.30, giving her the fifth-fastest mark in Bucknell history and the Patriot League title. She also ran the best times of her career in the mile, indoor and outdoor 4x800, indoor and outdoor distance medley relay, and outdoor 800 and 1,500 meters in 2012.
"I think it's a combination of a few things," Tolli says when asked about the reason for her improvement. "I didn't do cross country in high school, so it's taken me a few years to learn how the sport goes, learn how to run distance through the woods. I've learned a lot about the sport, how to race and how to pace. I think also, Coach Donner just does a really good job of focusing on how to develop his athletes."
Being a captain for the Bison has also influenced Tolli's success.
"There's a little more pressure to perform well, but pressure in a good way, just knowing that you're kind of expected to be there for the team and have an integral role in the team's success or failure. I think that's definitely something that has pushed me to advance the past couple of years."
When asked to define "scholar-athlete," Tolli's response was as simple as her recipe for success. "A person who is looking to give the best of their academic talent and their athletic talent and work really hard to improve upon both of those aspects throughout their college career," she says.
Wise words from one of Bucknell's premier scholar-athletes.
Note: This story appeared in a recent edition of the Bucknell Basketball Gameday Program.
