In Play(er) of the Week, our goal is to highlight outstanding athletes or moments from games that deserve extra attention.
Steve Paul ’28 is a sprinter from Stamford, Conn. on the Wesleyan track and field team. The first-year recently made headlines at the Trinity Invitational in Hartford, Conn., when he shattered the Wesleyan program record in the outdoor 200-meter dash with a time of 21.56 seconds, breaking the 13-year-old record of 21.73 seconds. Paul is no stranger to the record books—he already held the record in the indoor 200-meter—but with his performance at Trinity, he added another early accolade to his impressive rookie season. The Argus recently sat down with Paul to talk about his accomplishment.
The Argus: When did you first start running track?
Steve Paul: I started my freshman year [of high school]. I decided to do track because once I got to high school, there wasn’t really a sport I was consistently doing. Throughout middle school, I tried different sports, but nothing was really staying with me. When I got to high school, I saw that there was a new track program being made. So I was asking my dad, “Should I join?” And he said I should go for it. And ever since then, [I] have enjoyed it. I like running with my teammates, like the feeling of doing really well and having your hard work pay off, so I really chose to stick with it.
A: When did you know that you wanted to continue running in college?
SP: Sophomore year, I remember one of the first meets I ran really well at, and all of my coaches spoke to me, saying I should really consider running in college. So I think, ever since then, I started to take it really seriously [and] really put in the work in training.
A: How did you know that Wesleyan was the right place for you to continue your track career?
SP: So my junior year advisor was actually part of the Wesleyan track and field team, and I remember [that] she was talking about Wesleyan and how much she liked it, and she suggested that I apply here for recruitment. So I added that to my list, and then I went through the recruiting process, talked with the coaches here, and when I came on my visit, I really enjoyed the team here, and especially the buddy who toured me, Patrick [Schechtman-Taylor ’26]. [He] and all the other teammates [were] really kind and welcoming, and I could tell the team had a really good bond.
A: What’s the most challenging and most rewarding part of being a student-athlete?
SP: The most rewarding part is when we do really well, because that’s when you see all your hard work paying off, and qualifying for regionals and NESCACs. That’s a really good experience, because I can see I’m getting the times I wanted, and I’m improving and setting personal records [(PRs)]. I think the most challenging part is [that,] because track has an indoor and outdoor season, I’m basically competing from December to the end of the school year, and then in the fall you have captain’s practices, so I’ve basically been running since day one. So, dealing with being burnt out and dealing with academics, that’s the lesson I learned as a student-athlete.
A: People can view track as a somewhat individual sport. How does the team create chemistry so that you are united as a cohesive team?
SP: Whenever someone’s running an individual event, we all make sure to go and cheer them on. And during practice, we’re always motivating each other to keep going through the workout. Because usually, even though we have our own different races, during practice, we’re warming up together, we’re working out together. During a tough workout, it really makes it easier when you have your teammates with you doing the same exact thing you’re doing, and it really motivates you to keep going. Outside of practice, especially as a freshman class, we’re all really close, and I really love going to see movies downtown [and] hanging out with each other. That’s something I really enjoy about running here.
A: Do you have a favorite memory from your time running at Wes so far?
SP: One of my favorite memories is probably when I broke the indoor 200-meter record, because all winter [I’d] been really working up to it. And then each time I competed at a meet on a Saturday, I didn’t get exactly the time I wanted, so I kept working with my coach and working in practice. At [one of the] last meets of the season, I broke [the record] and PRed by a lot, which was really rewarding.
A: On [Saturday, April 19th, 2025], at the Trinity Invitational, you set another program record in the 200-meter dash, this time for the outdoor time. How did it feel knowing you had left your mark on the program when you crossed the finish line?
SP: I felt really proud, because all throughout the outdoor season I’ve been working towards it, but every meet the weather’s been kind of bad, so I wasn’t able to perform as I wanted. At Trinity, when the weather was nice for once, I knew I had to take advantage of that. So then once I came through the line and my teammates told me my time, I felt really proud and just a sense of all my hard work is not for nothing. I’m improving in PR, and it is really special to know that my name will be in the record books until hopefully I break it again.
A: How did your team react and celebrate when they realized what your time was in the 200?
SP: I remember one of my teammates, Juliette [Sullivan ’27], running up to me first when I crossed the line, telling me my time, and we just celebrated it. As I got closer to my other teammates, I could see they were so excited for me, jumping up and down, cheering me on. And I knew that that team atmosphere is really good and strong, as we’re all happy for each other whenever we have an accomplishment or break a record.
A: What about this team makes you excited for the future of Wesleyan track and field?
SP: This season, we saw improvement, especially on the [men’s] side. For NESCACs, we got one of the highest scores in recent years for the team. So I’m excited [that] in the upcoming years, we can improve together as a team as we get more and more people joining. And just to keep up the team atmosphere that we have makes me really excited to be running with these people for the next three years I have here.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ethan Lee can be reached at ejlee@wesleyan.edu.
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