Distance runner and kinesiology student juggles commitments

Seventeen hours of classes and playing a collegiate sport may be too much for some students, but not for Nicolas Yanek, an exercise and sports science and chemistry double major and a distance runner for the UGA cross-country team.

Between membership in the prestigious Dean William Tate Honor Society and winning a silver medal in the Pan American Under-20 Championships in Costa Rica this summer, Yanek was also honored as one of Georgia's eight Presidential Scholar Athletes this past spring.

"I definitely have to schedule my time very wisely, but [being busy] has gotten me really good at scheduling," Yanek said in a Q&A with Georgia Athletics. "I try to be as efficient and to the point with everything I'm doing so I can keep the ball rolling."

After graduation, Yanek dreams of running in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and pursuing a medical career.

"I either want to be a cardiologist or an orthopedic surgeon because those deal a little bit more with athletes, as well as diet, nutrition and overall health," he said. "I'd like something that blends all of my interests into one."