GMC Prep alum Calli McMullen has already run her way into the West Point athletics record books as a member of both relay teams. Her two first and second place finishes at the outdoor Patriot League Championships earned her female Rookie of the Meet and was eventually named Performance of the Year for the women's track team at West Point's Black Knight Awards.

WEST POINT, N.Y. — It’s tough enough to keep a good balance between academic and athletic obligations as a college athlete, but GMC Prep alum Calli McMullen is excelling even with the added pressure of being a United States Military Academy cadet on top of all her other duties.

The two-time state track champion and GMC Prep Class of 2016 graduate got a one-week hiatus after finishing up the outdoor season in mid-May before attending air assault school for a grueling two weeks. McMullen and the other cadets rappelled out of a helicopter, went on numerous distance runs, and tested their knowledge of sling cargo loads.

“I made a lot of friends,” she said of her experience at air assault school. “I have a lot of new brothers and sisters now because of that experience. It was fun, but it was also very demanding. I’m glad I got chosen for the opportunity to complete that.”

The track star is in the midst of a two-week break in her busy schedule but will then return to West Point for Camp Buckner, additional military training for rising sophomore cadets consisting of land navigation, marksmanship, and other skills.

“After that I have a two-week break where I hope I’m just going to be able to relax with my family before school starts again,” McMullen said.

All of that was in addition to classes and training for track that pretty much started as soon as she got to New York just prior to her freshman year. Training started even sooner in the year than what she was accustomed to as a high school athlete since West Point also takes part in indoor season with meets beginning in early December.

“This was my first time ever actually doing indoor season and that was really exciting,” McMullen told The Union-Recorder. “I started training before school even started. As soon as I left for basic training they took us from training to practice over the summer a little bit. As soon as school started we had practice every single day.”

Once track season started up she competed in every sprinting event at one time or another including both relays, the 100-meters, and even added the 60-meter dash to her repertoire during the indoor season. She said she was a little nervous competing in some events at first, but the trust she built with her coaches and teammates in just a short period of time helped her along the way.

“It was nerve-racking because I was getting into something I had never done before,” she said. “At the same time it’s one of those things where you have to trust the coaches around you that what they’re telling you is the right thing to do. It was really fun to be able to try something and actually be somewhat successful at it, so I’m grateful for that.”

That trust and camaraderie with her teammates came into play at the outdoor Patriot League Championships when both the of the women’s relay teams broke West Point records in both the 4×100 and 4×400 finishing second and first in those events, respectively. The 4×400 record was one that had stood for 34 years, but now the mark is set at 3:45.60 and got McMullen into the school’s record books as only a freshman. She said that both relay teams are comprised of all freshmen and sophomores, so there will be plenty more opportunities for them to make the times even better throughout their careers. Not only did the GMC Prep alum have a big day as part of the relay teams, but also in her individual events. She stood on top of the podium after winning the 100-meter dash with a mark of 12.16 and was second in the 200-meters. McMullen’s efforts that day earned her the distinction of being named female Rookie of the Meet and received Performance of the Year at West Point’s Black Knight Awards banquet.

“During those races I was just so focused on having a good time that I wasn’t nervous for any of them,” McMullen said. “I think that’s what made the difference in me performing the way that I did. It was really fun to break those records as well.”

“Then there was Cali McMullen, I don’t know if there has been a freshman performance quite like what we saw from her this weekend,” Army Director of Track and Field Mike Smith was quoted as saying on the West Point athletics website after the meet. “She ran a total of six races this weekend, set two school records, scored 22.5 points for the team, and was named the female Rookie of the Meet. She will do some special things for this program by the time it is all said and done.”

It’s not just the competition that makes being a college athlete more difficult, but there’s also the added pressure of tougher classes and cadet obligations. McMullen said it did take some time to get used to her hectic schedule, but she felt pretty comfortable with her routine during her second semester.

She’s obviously doing extremely well with all that is on her plate, however, because she somehow found the time to make the Dean’s List in each of her first two semesters at one of the most prestigious military academies in the country.

“The biggest difference for me was learning to be patient with myself and my body,” she said. “In high school the season is much shorter and in college I was literally running all year long. There were times because I was constantly working my body and there are so many obligations at West Point that you have to attend to other than just track. So I was wearing my body out and I would get really tired. There were some track meets I was not able to compete at because I was hurt, so it was just learning to be patient with myself and learning when my body needed a break and when it could go very hard.”