As a senior, Lindsay Ester can’t believe that her time as a runner for UNC Wilmington is almost up. “It’s weird to look at freshmen (on the team),” she said, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. “These years just flew by.”

A parks and recreation major from Burlington, N.C., Ester said that UNCW was her first choice. She liked the laidback atmosphere, and since she had been vacationing here for years and had family who lived in the area, Wilmington was like a second home. She was accepted on a scholarship, and would run indoor and outdoor track as well as cross country her freshman year.

When she first came to Wilmington, though, Ester said she had a hard time getting into college life. “It was a little harder for me to adapt because (instead of living with the team) I lived with my friend from home,” she recalled.

Yet Ester began to become more and more invested in the college sports world, and her role as a student-athlete quickly became a lifestyle for her. And, as a people person, she was soon able to form strong bonds with her team. “I immediately had my friends… I knew who I was going to be surrounded with,” she said. “It did take a while for our friendships to really form, but then our captains brought us all together.”

Now, in some ways, it’s easier for her to relate to athletes. “(Being an athlete) is definitely a lifestyle. Of course I have friends outside of athletes, but my best friends are athletes,” she added. “I’m more of a tomboy.”

Upon reflection, Ester cites that this bond is essential to any sport. “I think you’ve got to love your team,” she said. “You have to love what you’re doing to get up and spend four or five hours doing it.”

Ester has emerged as one of the top up-and-coming competitors in cross country, as well as a promising mid-distance runner in both indoor and outdoor track. As a junior last season, she earned All-CAA honors and won the first two races of the season at the Seahawk Invitational and Coastal Carolina Invitational.

So it was frustrating when, amidst her success, she suffered an injury and couldn’t compete. Stress fractures in her left shin became a small break, and she had to take time off from running.

Luckily, her recovery time was short. “At least it wasn’t something more serious, like a torn ACL that I would have to get surgery for,” Ester said.

When asked what she did during her recovery, she laughed and said, “I lay on the couch and watched Lifetime with my mom and cooked. I would play backgammon. That was really hard, not being able to do anything.”

As soon as she was able to, Ester jumped back into training. “I’m not 100 percent right now,” she admitted. “Definitely not. I think I’m still progressively working out…you can’t just jump in and automatically have your speed back.”

Despite this setback, Ester is looking forward to the upcoming season, and she feels that she will soon return to full capacity in time for her final races as a Seahawk. She feels positive that Wilmington’s track team will perform well, and is also confident that when she graduates next spring, she will leave the team in very capable hands.

“There’s a lot of young people on the team,” Ester said. “But we have a dynamite group of freshmen; they have so much potential. It will be exciting to see them compete.”