Early on in high school, AJ Virata was focused on basketball. As a sophomore, he started running track to stay in shape for his time on the court. It may have taken a couple of influential coaches and a realization that he was really good at this track thing to change his mind, but after a while Virata saw that his path to collegiate athletic success was on the track.
“It helped out that I got really good at it, but I just kind of ended up falling in love with it,” Virata said.
Picking track was the first of two important decisions around that time for Virata. He was clearly good enough to run at a collegiate level, but did not initially know where he wanted to go.
Then he was introduced to Slippery Rock University, and track and field Head Coach Bill Jordan made his decision easier.
“My mom first introduced me to Slippery Rock and [Jordan] did a pretty good job at just keeping in touch, which a lot of coaches didn’t end up doing. To me that kind of meant a lot,” Virata said.
It did not take long after his arrival for Virata to make his presence know to the conference. In five meets during 2022’s indoor track season, the York, Pa. native earned All-PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) honors and USTFCCCA (U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) All-Region honors in the high jump.
“Early in his career, he came in and his drive automatically made him want to be top dog in the conference and on the team,” Volunteer Assistant Coach Vanere Maynard said.
He had an even stronger freshman outdoor season, earning USTFCCCA All-Region honors in high jump again, the PSAC high jump title in addition to All-PSAC placement in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, and the PSAC Freshman of the Year award.
“Early in his career, he kind of acted as a driving force for the team. We had a smaller team his first year, especially on the guys side, and all the guys didn’t want to get beat by this freshman…his goal was to beat all the freshmen,” Maynard said.
Virata’s sophomore year brought one of his biggest achievements as a collegiate athlete. After setting the school record for the 200-meter dash during the 2023 indoor season, he set the PSAC record with a 20.97 second prelim time at the conference championships.
This was on top of outdoor conference titles in the 100-meter dash and 4×100-meter relay.
He won Most Outstanding Athlete at the PSAC Championships for that indoor season and Most Outstanding Track Athlete of the PSAC Outdoor Championships as well.
“From a coach’s perspective I would say that the biggest reward comes from seeing the moments they hit a big goal of theirs,” Maynard said. “There’s been a lot of really rewarding moments, seeing a smile on his face or even a tear in his eye here or there when something good happens.”
Neither the accolades, nor Virata, slowed up as he entered 2024. Last year saw him continue his dominance in the 200-meter dash, earning USTFCCCA All-Region honors in the event in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
He won the 200-meter conference title again during the indoor season and took a conference title as part of the 4×400-meter relay team during the outdoor season.
It has not all been smooth sailing though. There have been setbacks during his time at SRU, but Maynard noted Virata’s defining trait is his perseverance.
“He’s been injured a few times. He’s gone through a lot of things that some athletes would have quit over, but he’s still here, still persevering and still the best to ever do the 200 in the conference,” Maynard said.
This mindset has helped him develop from the freshman his teammates did not want to lose to into a role model that elevates his peers.
“Over the years, as he’s gotten older, his role on the team has now kind of been the magnet,” Maynard said. “AJ pulls himself along to try to get better. He also has, I don’t know if this is intentional or not, but he’s pulled the rest of the guys along with him to try to get better.”
His role as someone who brings the rest of the team up to a higher standard extends to the weight room as well.
“He’s a really big influence on workouts and even at meets, getting people motivated or getting guys to push through a last rep or something like that,” Maynard said.
As with any team that has gelled over time, they also leave room for social bonding that is not training or track focused.
Virata said some of his favorite moments with the team have come from “every night at dinner when we go to Boozel as a big group. There’s always like, 15 or 20 of us and we can sit there and talk for two or three hours after lifts and practice.”
With the camaraderie arose a nickname that came about with AJ now being one of the older members of the team.
“They do call me ‘Gramps’ a lot because I’m getting old,” Virata said.
With a lot of experience under his belt, Virata has grown into his position as a leader, which may be part of the reason for his nickname as well.
“Off the track, his maturity level… he’s now a leader on the team and someone that I’d say the entire squad looks up to,” Maynard said. “Which is why they call him Gramps.”
The volunteer assistant coach has been able to watch Virata’s process as he’s worked with the sprinter his whole time at SRU.
“It’s very rewarding to see individual successes, especially with A.J. He came in with a lot of big goals and he’s reached a lot of those goals. Some, not yet, but they’ll come,” Maynard said.
