Over the next several weeks, Rutgers University-Camden will be highlighting senior student-athletes who were denied their final athletic season when the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled their spring semester competition. In their own words, departing athletes will discuss their experiences at Rutgers-Camden.
 
The feature will be posted every Monday and Thursday.
 
Today's focus is on Matt Gross, the Scarlet Raptors' outstanding star in track and field who earned All-American status in the javelin as a junior in 2019. He also won the ECAC javelin championship, was named All-Atlantic Region by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and earned his second All-New Jersey Athletic Conference honor. A track team captain and a Dean's List student as a Marketing major, he was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and captured numerous academic honors at Rutgers-Camden.
 
1. What is your favorite memory being a student-athlete at Rutgers-Camden?

My favorite memory as a Rutgers-Camden student athlete was becoming an All-American in the javelin throw.
 
2.  What will you miss the most?
 
What I will miss most is practicing. Every day, whether it was the full team, a few athletes or just with coaches Ian and Drew, was full of laughs and sarcastic remarks to keep everyone smiling and made practice fun.
 
3.  What is the best advice you have received from your coach?
 
The best advice coach Ian ever gave me was "It's just another day and another throw, don't take it too seriously and the throw will take care of itself." Being an individual sport, track is very much a mental game and Ian understood me better than anyone else. The meets I stayed out of my own head and relaxed were some of my best competitions, especially when I reached bigger meets like the Penn Relays and NCAA's. Ian always kept me joking.
 
4.  What is next for you? What are your future plans and goals?
 
The next step for me is to hopefully start a career in marketing. I hope to get into advertising or analytics.
 
5.  Any special thanks, acknowledgements, or final words?
 
My special thanks go out to my coaches: Ian, Pat and Drew Harper (also my former teammate) for helping me succeed on the track. My teammates, particularly my brother Will, for motivating me to be the best captain I can be to help him be the best he can be, Nicole DeMarco for being the best co-captain anyone could ask for, and Drew Harper. Drew showed me how to be a leader, showed me how to work hard when no one is watching and for being one of my first friends at school. My parents for coming to every meet and my dad pestering me mid-competition. I also want to thank our athletic trainers, Dan and Andrea, who made sure I was healthy and able to do what I love.
 
Past Senior Spotlights:
 
Nicole DeMarco (Track & Field)
John Guccione (Baseball)
Keith Jacobs (Baseball)