On Thursday, May 17, 2018, Quakertown senior Lily Colflesh and Madison Mood were recognized for committing to continue their track and field careers at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Lily Colflesh – York College (Cross Country/Track & Field)
Major: Nursing
Reasons for choosing York: “I went there, and it was my first college visit. It’s a small campus, it’s beautiful, and it’s more of a suburban area. It’s not too far and not too close either, so it’s a nice location. Four thousand students is the population, so it’s small. York was my top choice, so I applied early decision. I didn’t apply anywhere else. I was accepted Oct. 1, so I’ve been committed since then.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in cross country and track at the collegiate level? “I’ve been running track since seventh grade, and I’ve always loved it. I used to want to be a soccer player in college, so college athlete was always on my radar. Once I started getting good results in track and cross country, I thought, ‘You know what, maybe I’ll consider doing this if I choose a D-III school.’ I wasn’t entirely sure that I was going to run in college, but I talked to the coach, and he convinced me. They were really willing to work with me and work with my schedule. All of my professors from the nursing department were like – we have a lot of runners, we have a lot of athletes, so it really does work out with my schedule.”
Coach Jason Anderson says: “Lily came to us as a freshman. I remember when I first met her – I shook her hand and asked her what she’d done in the past in other sports. She said, ‘I was a soccer player and I had three concussions, so I’m going to try track now.’ I was very worried. Track isn’t very high impact, but we do a lot of strenuous stuff. Lily has persevered through all four years. Other injuries and other things have come up, and she’s always pushed through them and been a real contributor for our team. This past season we were neck-in-neck as we always are with Hatboro-Horsham. It was a big meet. I was really stressed about it. We came down to the 800, and that’s Lily’s event. The other team has a ton of 800 runners, and it’s just Lily, and she’s battling – she’s in third and maybe she’s going to drop back. She bumps up to second and gets the three points, and that was the margin we won by. It was a huge win for the team. It’s things like that that Lily has done over the years that we appreciate, and we look forward to hearing more about her at York College. We see a bright future for her. She’s going to heal up and be raring to go. She just goes all out.”
About Lily:
Favorite food: Dairy Queen Blizzards
Favorite movies: The Greatest Showman & Inception
Favorite music: Alternative
Madison Mood – Delaware Valley University (Track & Field)
Major: Accounting with a minor in Agricultural Business (“So I can take over the finance side of the farm (Windy Springs Farm) and be able to handle all of that.”)
Final list of colleges: Delaware Valley, DeSales University
Reasons for choosing Delaware Valley: “I’m going to Delaware Valley University because it has an amazing agricultural program, and that is one thing I want to have under my belt to take over my family farm one day. We farm over a thousand acres full of 200 head of cattle. We raise chickens and have a donkey, horse and a goat. It’s an amazing life. I’m a fifth generation farmer, and I’m excited to continue on the legacy. I wanted to be close to home to commute and still get a great education.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track and field at the collegiate level? “I did softball for over nine years, and freshman year, I was like, ‘Oh, let’s try something new,’ so I tried track and field. I really enjoyed it. By the time I got sophomore year, it was complicated trying to get rides back and forth since I didn’t have my license yet, so I stopped but joined right back again junior year when I could drive. It was awesome, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
Coach Jason Anderson says: “Who is Madison Mood? Madison Mood is kind of like an onion. She came her freshman year and then she left for a year and then she came back, thankfully for us. She’s a farmer, and she’s the type of person that can run a multi-national agricultural conglomerate, and she’s all-league in shot put and discus. The onion reference – it’s happened every season where she’ll come to me and say, ‘Coach, may I please leave? My father has asked me to go and plant 6,000 onions.’ That’s not how she says it. She’s very respectful, but she says, ‘Jas, Matt Mood wants me to go home right now and plant 6,000 onions.’ She calls me Jas because the starter at our meets calls me Jas over the microphone. No one else on the team calls me that, but Madison does. So much goes on in Madison’s head that I don’t understand. She doesn't call her father dad, she calls him Matt Mood. It’s all inside jokes, but that’s kind of how Madison is. She sees so many angles, so many connections, and she’s just really a fun person to talk to and interact with. She’s run our throwing crew for a couple of years for the girls. I don’t worry about it anymore. Our throwing coach is always busy with all the different groups, and I know Madison has it if he’s not there. It’s been a joy and a lot of fun. I look forward to hearing more about her as she goes down to Del Val and does great things.”
About Madison:
Favorite food: Watermelon & Raw Sweet Corn
Favorite movie: “I basically like all action-packed movies, but the TV show I do really enjoy watching is Hawaii Five-O.”
Favorite music: Country & Hip Hop
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