What makes Jay Thornhill ’09 a threat on the soccer field also makes him a threat on the track. On the grass, the sophomore from Montreal, Que., and graduate of the Loomis Chaffee School zooms out of nowhere to pounce on an opposing player trying to enter the Saints’ defensive third; on the track, he uses his finishing speed to fly past the competition.

Jay spends his fall as a right defender for the Saints’ men’s soccer team before shifting into track mode to run the 55-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and the 4x200-meter relay in the indoor season. In the spring, he competes in the 100-yard dash, the 200-yard dash and the 4x100-yard relay.

Because soccer season often overlaps the indoor track season, Jay juggles post-season soccer action--the Saints have nine consecutive appearances in the NCAA men’s soccer tournament--with training for indoor track. Although he says his conditioning from soccer season puts him in good position to be ready for competition on the track, the differences between the two sports are numerous.

“It’s hard to prepare for the indoor season because of soccer and the strict regimen that we have,” Jay says. “I find that I am in good shape for track, but I have less preparation on the mechanics of the individual races than the other athletes.” He says he uses the indoor competition to prepare for the outdoor track season.

Head track and field coach Mike Howard says Jay’s training regimen is intense.

“The sky is the limit for him,” Howard says. “If he is able to continue to combine his natural athletic ability and raw speed with intense training, he will be a real track talent.”