Feature: Overcoming All Obstacles in her Path

Courtesy of Suffolk.edu Tony Ferullo of Suffolk University's Public Affairs Office

A three-sport athlete and honors entrepreneurship major, Catherine Madden loves a good challenge

Catherine Madden, Class of 2025, is a student-athlete for all seasons. She played soccer in the fall, ran indoor track and field in the winter, and outdoor track and field in the spring.

While her sports changed up throughout the academic year, her schedule remained the same: class, practice, games, and meets. Actively involved every semester, she learned how to carefully balance her time in the classroom, on the field, and at the track.

"It took a lot of sacrifice, but I challenged myself to realize my true value," says the honors entrepreneurship major from Milford. "When I would have class assignments and practices in tandem, I remembered the privilege I had. To be able to play two sports and get a college education at the same time is special."

Madden, a Dean's List student, established herself as a productive member of the women's indoor and outdoor track teams for four years. A hurdler, she holds the school record in the outdoor 100-meters event with a time of 16.17, an accomplishment she looks back on with pride.

"I felt I got recognized for all my hard work and dedication," she says. "The 7 a.m. practices, lifting weights, all the cuts and bruises. It made the many hours I put into the sport trying to get better worthwhile."

"Catherine was the first one at practice and the last one to leave," says Kerstin Darsney, Suffolk's associate head coach of track and field/cross country. "She had this strong motivation to run fast, be in control, and do well all the time. She was also a great teammate, always willing to work with and encourage other hurdlers."

In the spring of her freshman year, Madden was invited by members of the women's soccer team to try out for the squad as a walk-on. She had played soccer and track and field in high school, and was game to do the same at the collegiate level.

"I met some of my best friends playing soccer," says Madden, a forward. She also impressed Head Coach Ellie McDougall with her "confidence, drive, and good character. I feel whatever she does in life, she will be successful."

When she wasn't doing schoolwork or playing sports, Madden found time to serve as a Trustee Ambassador, giving campus tours to prospective students. That experience, she says, enhanced her public speaking and leadership skills, which she hopes to use working for a nonprofit organization focused on social or environmental justice.

Madden's message to multi-sport student-athletes who are put to the test, both mentally and physically, is to make every opportunity count. "Remember that you are doing something unique," she says. "Don't waste your time and don't waste your talent."