Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Bridget Vitu, New Trier track and field

Bridget Vitu is a senior sprinter and jumper for the Trevians. In 2019, Vitu was part of New Trier’s All-State 4-by-400 relay. She will be a student-athlete at Yale University next year.

1. Do you have any premeet or prerace rituals?

Before a meet, I have a very specific breakfast I make if it’s Saturday morning: eggs with some vegetables in them, something constant that helps me a lot. Before I race, before I get into the blocks, I have a routine I follow. I jump in the air, then take a deep breath and put my hands down and get focused on the race.

2. Why is Yale a good fit for you?

A lot of reasons. Obviously it’s a great school. I’m super excited to take a lot of classes there. I met the team as well. One of my friends runs there, and it’s such an amazing community. Just the athletes in general have such a great sense of the community. There are so many clubs and groups that I’m super excited to join and so many resources that I’m excited to use. 

3. What is your favorite thing to do off the track?

Off the track, I really like reading. I’ve gotten into reading more since quarantine started. I’ve read a lot of fiction recently. My favorite book, is “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” by Oscar Wilde. I like a lot of classics.

I also love hanging out with my family. Me and my siblings (younger sisters Kayleigh and Caroline and brother Quinn) are really close, and hanging out with friends is really nice, especially because I won’t see them next year. 

4. What is your dream job?

In a perfect world, I would love to be some sort of writer, maybe a poet or fiction novelist. I really like reading right now. I’m not too good at writing, but it’s something to do for fun sometimes. 

5. Who is the funniest person on the track team?

That is a hard one. Probably my friend Grace Ghiselli. She is so funny and makes me laugh so hard during practices. 

6. If you could play another sport, what would it be?

I’ve always wanted to try soccer. I did it a little bit when I was younger. I tried to convince my parents to join a travel team. … It seems fun to have more of a team aspect. There is teamwork in track, but soccer is actually a team sport.

7. If you’re in Walgreens with a couple bucks, what are you buying? 

Maybe a little bit of candy, some gum. Maybe some nail polish. I’ve been really into painting my nails lately. 

8. What is your favorite moment so far on the track?

My favorite moment as a runner is probably the 2019 state finals. I ran the (4 by 400) with three other girls, all who have graduated. It was really special at the time, but we didn’t realize how special. It was one of our last big mets before COVID happened. It was really, really exciting. We were third overall. It was so fun watching the anchor cross the finish line, all of us hugging and then sitting on the podium.

9. What is something people don’t know about you?

I was a competitive Irish dancer for about 12 years — until freshman year. It was a really big part of my life for a long time. We went to Scotland even, which was really exciting. 

10. What do you want to accomplish to finish this year?

I think as a team, honestly, I love our team so, so much. We already have a really strong team, but as a team it would be awesome to grow even closer. We want to win as many meets as we can. Also, to just strengthen our friendships and the bonds between us. Individually, I’d love to PR in a few more events. It would be really cool to break a school record. Honestly, I’d be happy if things this season were more focused on relationships with coaches and with the team and that is pretty much what matters at the end of the day.  

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