High Standards, Team Culture are Motivators for Weprin

Cross country and track & field student-athlete Seth Weprin has achieved both athletic and academic success during his time at Dartmouth. Now a senior, Weprin was a walk-on in 2019, unsure if he would even make the team. In 2022, he was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America team and won the New England Championship.

Weprin accredits his success to learning how to set high expectations for himself and be competitive early on. He also values the culture for competitive excellence that both the cross country and track & field teams at Dartmouth have created.

"I was always a really competitive kid," Weprin recalled. "I've been able to sharpen and hone that. In the classroom, I expect a lot of myself. In cross country, it's really the same thing but also trying to beat other people. It comes from the same drive."

Weprin developed the enthusiasm and motivation that he brings to the classroom during high school at St. Mark's School in Dallas, Texas. The diligence he learned in high school incentivized him to strive for excellence in the classroom.

"A love for learning is part of it; that's the reason I picked the majors I picked," said Weprin, who was recently named to the Dartmouth chapter of Phi Betta Kappa. "But I've always set high standards for myself in the classroom. St. Mark's was a rigorous place to go to school; I was able to translate that to here."

In addition to his deep intrinsic motivation, Weprin is inspired on a daily basis by his teammates to be his best and to constantly keep improving. The team culture and commitment shared by Dartmouth cross country and track & field athletes gives Seth pride to represent the Big Green.
Seth Weprin mens cross country Souther Invite

Seth Weprin mens cross country Souther Invite

"There is a shared drive for the program to do well, "said Weprin. "It's a very special ethos that Dartmouth brings. To keep that moving, everyone must be bought in. When you're wearing Dartmouth across your chest and when we do our cheer at the beginning of the race, you really feel something."

Teammate and team captain, senior Eric Gibson, also speaks to the Dartmouth cross country and track & field teams' strong team culture and how Weprin has successfully contributed on the track, on the course and in the classroom.

"We're a really dedicated group," said Gibson. "Everyone is intrinsically motivated to be the best runner and person that they can be. Seth is a shining example of that. He is so motivated, so dedicated to the sport and to his studies that it's no surprise to me that he's having as much athletic and academic success as he's having."

For someone with so many accomplishments, it may seem surprising that Weprin was uncertain of his athletic status when he entered Dartmouth as a freshman. Weprin ran cross country throughout high school, but his senior year, he didn't post the times necessary to be recruited.

"I really wanted to go to Dartmouth, but I didn't have the times coming in," remarked Weprin. "I was talking to Barry Harwick who was the coach at the time. He told me that a 4:20 1600 was the benchmark which I hadn't run yet. He said he might give me a time trial in the fall of my freshman year, but he didn't really say much more than that."

Weprin spent the summer between his senior year of high school and freshman year of college in Montana living with family, working at Glacier National Park and training on his own.

"The whole time, I didn't really know if I would even get a tryout when I came to Dartmouth," Weprin remembered. "I was working under the assumption that I might, so I might as well train for it. I boosted my mileage and did a lot of types of work that I had never really done before in high school. My assistant high school coach had written me a training plan."

When Weprin arrived on campus in the fall, there were a few weeks when he didn't know for sure if he would have the opportunity to complete the time trial and be able to walk on to the track & field team.

"I think Barry was testing me to see if I would hold on," said Weprin. "Finally, at the beginning of week four of my freshman fall, he let me try out. The standard was still the same; I had to run a 4:20 mile which I managed to do. I ran just under that; I ran about a 4:19 and then I was on the team."

After making the team, Weprin remembers how his growth as a college athlete wasn't always linear. He didn't end up running cross country for his first two years of college, rather he competed as a middle-distance track & field athlete.

"I didn't do that well my first season," said Weprin. "My first two years, I was nursing a hip injury; it was a chronic thing I had starting at the end of high school. Then COVID hit and there were a lot of protocols we had to follow, but we still managed to train."

Despite some challenges due to injury and the COVID-19 pandemic, Weprin remained persistent. He was able to train throughout the pandemic, on his own when necessary, to make improvements to his fitness.

Weprin began seeing success during his junior year at Dartmouth. He is able to set high standards for himself with the knowledge that he has been able to stay consistent with his training, even through hectic times such as the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries.
Seth Weprin mens cross country Souther Invite

"I'm not the most talented guy; the reason I've had some success is I've been consistent in my training," said Weprin. "I do all the little things all the time. To be successful, you have to train consistently over a long period of time."

Weprin's consistency at practice has enabled him to be successful long-term. Not only has the strong team culture motivated him to be his best, but he has also contributed to that very culture and pushed others to be better because of it.

"Seth doesn't settle for simply participating or anything less than his best and most honest effort," remarked Gibson. "He is always striving for the best version of himself and that pushes the team to be better as a whole. He has that right attitude where every day, he wants to show up to practice and work on something and get better."

Weprin's attitude and growth mindset has impacted those around him to compete and to strive for excellence not only on the track, but in the classroom too. His ability to be fully present in the task at hand inspires his teammates regularly.

"On a day-to-day basis at practice, he always shows up ready to work," said Gibson. "He has a lot of academic obligations, but he's ready to flip that switch and be focused on the track, which I really admire."

Over the course of his athletic career at Dartmouth, Weprin has experienced both the setbacks and successes that come with collegiate athletics. Weprin has made a name for himself as a determined, motivated and committed student-athlete. While he attributes much of his success to his ability to set high standards for himself and the support of his teammates he has had just as much of an impact on his team as they have had on him.

Weprin's positive impact on Dartmouth on the cross country and track & field teams will be felt long after he graduates from Dartmouth College.

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