April 16, 2020
By: Nick Skeen, sports information assistant

BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Bluffton University sports information office will be talking to many of our spring athletes who are seniors during the month of April. They give us a glimpse back to their time at Bluffton along with what the future holds for them and their teammates.

Arie Cox is a senior cross country and track athlete at Bluffton University. A dietetics major from Ontario High School in Mansfield, Ohio, Arie runs the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. I was able to talk with Arie about her time here and what drew her to Bluffton.

"I wanted to go to a smaller school," she said. "I wanted to run track and to be in dietetics. I researched schools and found Bluffton, was able to talk with coaches and faculty and decided I wanted to come here."

Arie, like many student-athletes, had difficulties. "Being a dietetics major and doing three sports was difficult. Balancing schoolwork and athletics, it was a challenge learning how to manage time and get all my homework and studying done."

Being a student-athlete helps prepare you for life outside of college. For Arie, she learned countless lessons as well. "This has helped more with after college, by managing time and working hard," she said. "I can accomplish anything if I set my mind to it."

As a three-sport athlete who is literally in-season throughout the entirety of the school year, Arie has made many memories. One of her fondest memories came at practice last year. "One day at practice last spring, I was running with Bailey and Jenny. We ran on the bike trail to the bridge and it was flooded, but we ran through. We got our shoes and socks wet, laughed and forgot about all our problems."

Arie has gained much wisdom thanks to her time at Bluffton. Her advice to younger teammates is, "Cherish every day at Bluffton and at practice. It goes by quickly. Last fall I didn't stay in the moment and was not able to focus as well as I could. I couldn't enjoy it. So enjoy the time with your team."

-BEAVERS-