Bella Bastos
Sophomore Lola Gitlin transferred from Division l Long Island University in Spring 2025 with the intention of playing soccer. Gitlin switched to cross country in the fall.
Before the Fall 2025 semester, junior Lola Gitlin had never competed in a cross-country race.
That was until Sept. 6, when Gitlin finished in ninth place at the Tom Balon Alumni Classic 5K race in Brockport. Gitlin finished in second on her team, a remarkable feat for someone running their first cross-country race. For her performance, Gitlin won Liberty League Women’s Cross Country Rookie of the Week honors.
Gitlin was a lifelong soccer player, from high school to Division I Long Island University. Gitlin transferred to Ithaca College for the Spring 2025 semester. She came to South Hill to play for Mindy Quigg, head coach of the women’s soccer team. IC won the Liberty League Championship Tournament in the Fall 2024 season. Gitlin was thrilled to learn from Quigg and said she is a legendary teacher.
Despite her enthusiasm, Gitlin made a hard decision before her third year as a collegiate athlete: she was changing sports from soccer to cross-country. The sport she had learned, played and grew up with her whole life was not working for her anymore. The difficult choice stemmed from the physical toll the sport took on her.
“I have been dealing with injuries since high school,” Gitlin said, “When I was coming back, I think I convinced myself that I was still so in love with soccer … but the reality is … I kind of took a step back and … realized that, although there’s such incredible people here and the team is so incredible, soccer was no longer serving me.”
She missed her entire freshman campaign and redshirted the year. She had a cleaner bill of health in the 2024 schedule, playing defense for 11 out of 16 possible games in Fall 2024. However, Gitlin wanted a change.
That Injuries led to a big shift in her athletic journey from soccer defender to cross-country runner.
Before switching sports, Gitlin swapped one New York institution for another, relocating from LIU to IC in the middle of her sophomore year. This change led to nervousness for Gitlin as she faced new challenges and adapted to a new school, classmates and teammates.
“The biggest challenge was trying to find a way to just get myself out there,” Gitlin said. “Getting rid of that fear of being cool and accepting that … everyone’s here to make friends, and being [OK] with not having as many in the beginning and continuing to grow my circle [helped.]”
Gitlin tried to get involved in many clubs and extracurricular activities at IC, which made her college transition go smoother.
“[IC] has made it so incredibly easy to do that by just having amazing student organizations, incredible resources, and I’ve taken advantage of almost all of them,” Gitlin said.
Furthermore, Gitlin was nervous about how she would interact with her team. All of those worries were dismissed once she met head coach Erin Dinan’s cross-country squad.
“This is my first time ever running cross-country, and so I have a lot of questions and a lot of different asks,” Gitlin said. “They’ve been so incredibly kind and welcoming and have treated me like family the second I walked in. … I feel like I’m finally exactly where I belong.”
Gitlin said she feels at home with her new team, leading to early individual and group success. From a coaching standpoint, Dinan said that this is not the first time former soccer players have run under her leadership.
“I love to get soccer players,” Dinan said. “They are great runners and have a lot of drive and competitiveness.”
Gitlin reached out to Dinan in Spring 2025 and got prepared over the summer for her new sport. Dinan said that the transition was smooth and that Gitlin got adjusted to the sport seamlessly. Despite the welcoming atmosphere and smooth transition, there are always challenges when shifting sports, but Dinan said that the team has incredible chemistry that will help with any further adjustments that need to be made.
It is also important for Gitlin to stay healthy during the cross-country season. Dinan noted that the team’s schedule is spaced out in a way that avoids overworking a runner’s body to avoid wear and tear and unnecessary afflictions.
In her time at Ithaca, Gitlin has bonded with her teammates well, like with senior runner Jessica Goode. Goode finished seventh in the Tom Balon Alumni Classic 5K on Sept. 6 and has accumulated numerous accolades, including Liberty League Rookie of the Year in her first-year campaign.
Goode said the pair often go on long runs to practice for the season, which has led to them getting to know each other and bonding outside of running. She said Gitlin’s hard work and strong work ethic has led to improved team chemistry.
“She’s super dedicated, super motivated and she brings an energy to this team that we’ve been lacking,” Goode said, “She cares so much. I cannot emphasize enough how much she cares about this team and the betterment of the team. Having her only adds to our greatness as a team.”
Leading up to the first meet, Gitlin had mixed emotions. She said that while not knowing how she would perform in her inaugural cross-country venture, it was all worth it.
“I went in and took a risk, and it worked out in the end,” Gitlin said. “My teammates have been there every single step of the way, giving me guidance, so I just can’t wait to keep on getting faster and win more.”