By Meghan McCloskey, Contributing Writer

Matt Wilkens is a sophomore biology major at the University and can often be spotted on campus rolling around on his long board.

When not on his longboard, Wilkens boasts an incredibly busy schedule, but still makes time for the things he loves. His hobbies include skateboarding and surfing in the summer.

One of Wilkens’s biggest passions though is coaching high school track. He volunteers his time coaching for East Meadow High School in the afternoons when he is done with classes.  He coaches the pole vault and sets up lifting programs for the kids.

“It’s really cool coaching because you get to coach kids who actually want to be there,” he says.

Wilkens likes being a role model to the kids and realizes how much they look up to him.
“Kids actually respect what I’m saying.  They look up to me,” he says.

Aside from spending many hours volunteer coaching, Wilkens has a very busy schedule. He is a biology major getting ready to go to medical school in the future. He would like to continue to work with athletes in the medical field.

Last semester was particularly busy for Wilkens. He ran cross country for the University and still maintained a 3.5 GPA. His typical schedule consisted of waking up at 6:00 in the morning for practice, class at 8:00, another afternoon practice and night class consisting of a four hour lab. 

On the weekends when he did not have a meet, Wilkens would make it back to Syosset, where he went to high school, to help coach the team.

Wilkens looks forward to continuing his coaching in the summer and running next fall. No matter how busy he gets, Wilkens loves what he does and looks forward to what will come in the future.

Matt Wilkens (Photo courtesy of Matt Wilkens)