Samantha Gilbert’s time at Slippery Rock University has been all about perseverance, leadership and resilience both on and off the track.
The fifth-year student-athlete, a standout jumper and sprinter, has faced challenges from COVID-19 disruptions to personal struggles that tested her mental strength. Through it all, she has pushed forward, leaving a lasting impact on her team and the university.
Gilbert chose Slippery Rock for its strong physical therapy program and family connections in the area. But beyond academics, it was the track and field team and the support of her coach, SRU Head Track and Field Coach Bill Jordan, that made SRU feel like home.
“When I came and visited, and I met with Coach Bill, it just—I mean, it sounds cliché, but it just felt right,” Gilbert said. “I just really enjoyed the people that I met on the team when I came to visit, and I enjoyed the campus.”
As a leader, she balances between the jumper and sprinter groups and mentors her teammates, especially in handling the mental side of competition.
“Being a fifth-year student, I feel like I have to be a role model for people,” she said. “I try to play the role of being there for everybody and what they need. I kind of appeal to the mental aspect of track and field and try to do what I can with that because I’ve had a lot of struggles mentally.”
One of her biggest achievements came at the Ashland outdoor meet, where she broke the SRU 100-meter record and helped set a new 4×1 relay record.
This accomplishment was even more remarkable because she was battling illness and ended up in the emergency room around the same time as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships. “I have never been sicker in my life at that meet,” Gilbert said. “I was actually in the ER two days later for a couple of days, and then that was PSAC weekend. So that was the hardest thing that I’ve had to go through, especially in my mind when that was my senior year.”
Despite feeling far from her best, she competed with everything she had, knowing it might be her last time on the track. “A lot of it was adrenaline and just trying to give everything that I had, knowing that it was possibly my last meet,” Gilbert said. “I had a responsibility that I had to play, and I couldn’t let my team down.”
Throughout her time at SRU, Gilbert has leaned on the phrase “Keep the Faith,” a saying passed down by her Coach Tabitha Bemis’ mother.
“Something that Tabby’s mom had always said to her and that we had kind of started saying to each other was to keep the faith,” she explained. “Like, it’s out of my hands. Just keep the faith. Like, God has it. There’s nothing else that I can do at this point. All I can do is put my best effort in.”
Balancing academics, athletics and personal life has been another challenge Gilbert has taken on. Having already completed her undergraduate, she is now earning a digital health leadership certification while working part-time. Strong time management and organization have helped her stay on top of it all.
“I’m pretty good at time management. I’m very organized with my planners and my agendas and all those types of things,” she said.
Gilbert credits her resilience to the support of her teammates, coaches and especially her family. She sees her grandfather as one of her biggest inspirations. He’s been at as many meets as possible, cheering her on. “He is always my number one fan. I can always hear him in the crowd,” she said. “He’s 86 years old and still manages to come to all the track meets that he can.”
Her fellow seniors also played a huge role in convincing her to return for a fifth year, a decision she now considers one of her best.
“I want to thank my fellow seniors on the team for supporting me and encouraging me to come back for my fifth year because it definitely wasn’t on my mind when I left in May,” she said. “And they are definitely a huge reason and a factor of why I came back.”
As she looks back on her time at Slippery Rock, Gilbert knows her journey hasn’t been easy, but it’s been filled with valuable lessons, strong friendships and unforgettable moments. Whether breaking records or supporting her teammates, she has lived by the belief that perseverance and passion can overcome any challenge.
