UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Graduate student Eric Hamel has quickly made Penn State his new home after transferring from Western Washington University. The cross country runner brings both experience and talent to the Nittany Lion squad.
The transition from the west coast to the east coast was a big adjustment but Hamel says that the moment he stepped on campus; the team made him feel at home. Hamel also has family that lives in Pennsylvania which was a big influence on his decision to make the move to Penn State.
"I have never been to the east coast before, so it's something new and exciting," he said.
Hamel has been impressive so far in the Blue and White. After winning the season opening Dolan Duals, he followed that up with a top-20 finish at his home debut in the Spike Shoe Invitational.
Hamel says that although he is a newcomer on the team, he still feels like he has a leadership role on the team. That thought is earned, as during his time at Western Washington University he was a three-year team captain.
"It has kind of changed from being the head captain to still seeing how I can motivate my other teammates and show through my experience," says Hamel. "Taking what I've learned and giving that to the future of this program and telling them how great they can be."
Hamel says another big influence that helped him through the transferring process was his former coach at Western Washington who had talked to him a lot about this process.
"He told me that I did my time at my last school and he really supported me in the process and I'm really grateful for him," says Hamel. "He wanted me to choose a school that was the best fit for me, when it came down to it there were five schools that I was looking at and Penn State was the best fit for me all around."
Head coach John Gondak says that being Hamel's fifth year, he has quickly stepped into a leadership role on the team.
"He knows success, he knows what needs to be done to be successful, and he's challenging the rest of our guys to be like that," says Gondak.
Assistant coach Ryan Foster, who was a big part of Hamel's recruiting process, says coaching Eric has been very refreshing.
"He's somebody who's willing to learn even as a fifth year senior coming in, which has been really nice to have," says Foster. "He's also bringing his own special something to the team."
Foster says when recruiting Hamel he saw a lot of potential and says he's a big believer in recruiting personality.
"Recruiting the right person to a program is really important and I feel a strong connection to Eric on a personal level in the recruiting process," says Foster.
Foster says he believes Hamel is ready to exceed his performances so far this season.
"He's definitely ready to take things to the next level, which is exciting when you can see somebody put themselves in a position to contend at the Big Ten level," says Foster.
Hamel has already been making a huge impact on the team and plans to capitalize on his performances this season during his first season as a Nittany Lion.
