Playing a sport in college as a first-year is hard, but playing two is even harder–just ask Andrew Kim.

Kim, a first-year out of Blacksburg, Va., lettered for the soccer team this year and is currently running for the track team.

As a member of the soccer team, Kim made an immediate impact on the field.  He started in all 18 games for the Generals, and was second in scoring only to senior Zach Colby, with five goals on the year.

But once the soccer season was over, Kim immediately had to make the mental and physical leap from one sport to the next.  Since soccer and track overlap, there was no real offseason for Kim to recuperate.

“My coaches were very understanding and flexible, they waited for me to be ready but more than anything I just had to get used to it,” Kim said.  “But days off make a huge impact in track, so I had to be active everyday and always work to improve.”

Although he has always run indoor track, this will be Kim’s first season ever running outdoor track as well.  In Virginia high schools, the soccer season and outdoor track season are both in the spring.  In Division 3, though, soccer is played in the fall, allowing Kim to do both.

Though often considered the same sport, indoor and outdoor track are fundamentally very different.  Where indoor tracks are only 200 meters long, outdoor tracks are twice the distance at 400 meters.

“To me, indoor and outdoor track are different enough that I consider it almost like I play three sports instead of two,” said Kim.

The outdoor season does not get into full swing really until mid-March, but that has not stopped Kim from beginning to train and prepare outdoors.  What worries Kim more than the distances, though, is the weather.

“Every event outdoors is affected by the wind and the weather, something I have never had to deal with before,” remarked Kim.

Playing collegiate sports has always been a life goal for Kim, and he knows just how lucky he is to be in a position to compete after high school in both of his favorite sports.

“It’s pretty neat, every high school athlete dreams of playing college sports, especially at a school like Washington & Lee,” Kim added.  “If I didn’t love it I wouldn’t do it.”