Delaware Sports Blitz Interview: Delaware Tech’s Ben Stulir

Photo: Delaware Technical Community College

The Delaware Technical Community College student-athletes interviews are back!

The student-athlete we are featuring this week comes from Delaware Tech’s men’s cross-country team, which is Ben Stulir.

Stulir talks about everything from how he started cross-country and some of the highlights of his athletic career.

Check out it below!

Related:

Delaware Sports Blitz Interview: Delaware Tech’s Tim Hammack

How did you start playing sports?

“It all started when I was in middle school when I attempted to make the basketball team. I might not have been the greatest at basketball, but I was a ball distributor and I made sure I kept everybody involved. Though my talent on the basketball court did not improve, I decided to start a new sport and that was the start of my cross-country journey. I started during my junior year of high school and really enjoyed it because we had an intense sense of teamwork and I got to meet new people.”

What adjustments did you have to make from the jump from high school to college, regarding the sport you play?

“I believe in college practice, you must hold yourself, more accountable, and the workouts are more individualized.”

Other than sports and school, what are some things you like to do in your free time?

“I really enjoy long walks on the beach, fishing, and watching football.”

Where is your favorite place to run?

“Killen’s Pond is my favorite place to run because it has all the elements of a cross-country course.”

What has a former or current coach taught you, that you still use today on or off the playing field?

“My high school coach once taught me that after every challenging workout rep, you must sprint 80 meters because in a lot of races, you might put in all the work but still get beat in the last .1, so my coach wanted us to get stronger and to replicate a strong finish. I took that lesson far more than track but in life because I make sure that whatever I am doing, I always complete it.”

Do you have any pre-game rituals before a match?

“My crucial pregame ritual is just relaxing and looking at my competitors and just telling myself that I am better than them and I will not let myself lose to them.”

What do you feel is your greatest strength?

“As the team captain, I try my best to make sure all my teammates are doing all right and making sure that if they have any issues, they can feel comfortable coming to me. So, I would say my greatest strength is my leadership.”

What do you feel you are weakest at and what do you work on to improve it?

“My weakest trait is my start. I always go out to conservative, and I always have way too much energy at the end of my races.”

Describe some of the highlights of your athletic career.

“I would say the highlight of my athletic career was going from one of the slowest runners on my high school team in my junior year to becoming the second fastest guy as a senior. I would trade in all the medals I received just to relive the feeling I had climbing up the ranks and seeing all my hard work paying off again.”

What are your goals for this season?

“My biggest goal is winning regionals and going to nationals because we have the best team in Delaware Tech history, and I cannot wait to show our region our rough dawg mentality.”

What motivates you to run and compete?

“My teammates, as I see them grinding every day, and that is very motivational because I want to keep up with their growth.”

Who are your role models both in and out of the sport?

“I would say my biggest role model for running is our Head Coach, Michael O’Brian, because he is always easy to talk to, and I know he really cares about our safety and growth as a team. Outside of running, my biggest role model must be my grandpa because he worked late nights being a security guard at a hospital not only to care for himself but also for my uncle and mother. He also always cared for me from an early age because after my mother died, my grandparents became my parent figure, as my dad had to work late to support my family. I could not ask for a better family and, more importantly, a better grandpa.”

What advice would you give a new runner?

“My advice would have to be “Trust the Process” because runners do not just run one race and become some sort of Olympic runner, but if they put in the work, they could become a daggum good runner.”

If you could run anywhere in the world, where would it be?

“I would have to say Florida because I always see people going down south and running faster times, and I believe if I ran down south, I could drop a good two minutes in my 8k.”

How would you like to be remembered by your teammates and coaches?

“I would want to be remembered as “The funny one” because of my good nature and willingness to make everybody laugh on the van going to meets.”

What is the best part of being on the Delaware Tech Cross Country team?

“I would have to say our mascot has to be the best. I am not a geometrician, but I believe a square is the only shape to have four equal-sized sides, and I believe that defines us as a team. One person doesn’t make us a strong team, but all of us have an equal part in making this cross-country team a strong one. Let’s Go Squares!!!!”