GEORGETOWN - Through the dog days of summer, college athletes everywhere are staying focused on their chosen sports.

Sure, they may find some relaxation at a beach here or an ice cream stand there, but it's the off-season preparation that's key to coming back to fulfill new goals for a new school year.

Georgetown's Colin Prior sees a 4x100-meter relay school record at Stonehill College that he'd like to break next season. He and his teammates, who finished third at the New England Division 3 championships this past season, finished close to the school record. Chalk up breaking that record as a No. 1 goal in 2013.

The Record caught up with Prior to talk about his burgeoning college track and field career.

What did you think of being named to the All-Region team and finishing third in New England?

Coming in third at New Englands was something that both our sprint coach and the four guys on the relay knew we were capable of. However, we had some setbacks due to injuries and we owe a lot of the credit to our coach and the athletic trainers at Stonehill for getting us healthy so that we could compete.

Seeing all of the hard work we put in during the year finally pay off made the achievement that much more special. The race results were bittersweet because we were happy about what place we came in, but we noticed that we came one-tenth of a second away from Stonehill's school record in the event (which we intend to break next year). 

What is your favorite event in track and field?

It's tough to put a finger on one event that I consider my favorite, but I would have to choose the 200-meter because it requires not only speed but also speed endurance, which requires a lot of hard work to gain. Also, I have never been the quickest guy out of the blocks, so the 200 gives me a chance to get going and catch up.

 
How did you end up in the events you're in currently - had you always been in those events in the past?

I used to play baseball and hockey [at St. John's Prep, in Danvers] until I fractured my elbow and had to end my baseball career. My older brother, Tim, suggested that I try track, so I joined the team and the coaches placed me into the sprinter group.

I ran the 100 and the 200 until I came to Stonehill where my coach started training me for the 400 as well, and this past year (junior year), I began long jumping which is a breath of fresh air after only running for three years.

The idea for long jumping came about when I was struggling through a hamstring injury and my coach had me try another event to regain my confidence.

How is it to be teammates with All-American Sean Hanlon?

It's nice have a fellow Georgetown native on the team. He is one of the hardest workers I've ever seen and he sets a great example for our teammates, myself included. I actually live in the room next to his over the summer and see him everyday.

What did you like most about your time at St. John's Prep?

My favorite part of going to St. John's was the bonds I made with my teammates and classmates. Some of my closest friends to this day, I met at St. John's.

Did you contact Stonehill or did they contact you?

I was initially intending on play hockey at Stonehill. However, due to personal reasons, I decided not to play. That was when I emailed the track coaches and joined the track team in the spring of my freshman year.

What do you like most about Stonehill, as a college, overall?

What I like most about Stonehill is how available the professors are to their students. It's a small school and that makes it a lot easier to gain access to help in areas such as the classroom, career searching, athletic training, etc.

What is the summer workout program like for you?

Our sprint coach typed up a training program for the entire summer. It consists of both running and lifting intended to prepare us for preseason in the fall. There are 10 or so members of the team living on campus [with me] during the summer, which makes it easier to get in the training sessions, because we can hold each other accountable.