Caiola praised on and off the track

By Avery Martin

Contributor

It has been a busy year for Hannah Caiola, a junior, who was recently named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association’s East Region Track Athlete of the Year.

The junior from Glastonbury, Connecticut has set multiple on-track records and has won races in a dominant fashion. But off the track, she is using her platform to speak out on mental health and the effects of burnout on athletes.

“I think it’s important to be a big advocate for people who do struggle with it because I feel like people don’t speak up about it enough. I think the world needs to hear how hard it is to be where we are as athletes that are at this level, because it’s not just easy going,” Caiola said.

Caiola released a video on Instagram in January in which she spoke of her long journey with anxiety and burnout and how she manages it while performing at the top of Division II track and field.

After a freshman season that included top finishes and best results, Caiola says the pressure to be at her best constantly was overwhelming.

“I think I started to suffer from perfectionism just because of where I ended my freshman year I expected to be basically up at the top and it wasn’t that way. It honestly took a toll on my mental health,” Caiola said in her video.

Caiola’s teammate Maddie Hathorn, a junior who herself is the 2024 NE10 Outdoor Pole Vault Champion, applauds her for speaking out. Doing so sheds light on the often overlooked and taboo topic of mental health.

“I know a lot of us have struggled with our mental health. I’ve struggled with it, I’ve had my ups and downs, a lot of anxiety. So, I think a lot of us related to it and we’re proud that she was able to speak up about it,” Hathorn said.

Head coach Melissa Stoll Funaro praised Caiola’s leadership both on and off the track. She believes Caiola has encouraged other team members to feel comfortable speaking out on topics that may seem hard to cope with.

“I’m happy that Hannah is getting more involved with the student athlete advisory committee and coming into her own as a young adult and a young woman,” Stoll Funaro said. “These issues are very prevalent, so to feel comfortable in oneself and to be able to share that and know that there is a community of others who share the same thing.”

Stoll Funaro also believes the honor of Track Athlete of the Year is well deserved for the current Division II record holder.

Caiola, a business major, set an NCAA DII record in the 300 meters early in the season with a time of 38.17. She then set the third all-time performance in the 500-meter with a 1:12.00 and earned a personal best time of 53.40 in the 400 meter not long after. At the recent 2025 NE10 Indoor Championships, she ran the 200-meter and 400-meter and won both events.

At the national indoor championships, she finished 11th in the 400. While that result was not what she had in mind, Stoll Funaro said the way Caiola handled the mental aspects of the race showed great emotional maturity.

“What I found to be apparent, especially in this last indoor national championship, she managed her emotions very well. From the day leading up to the race, at race time and even post-race when it wasn’t the outcome that she wanted,” Stoll Funaro said. “Though she was very disappointed, she met things head on. She didn’t retract.”

With the outdoor track season now underway, Caiola is still speaking out and using her platform to encourage awareness of anxiety, stress and burnout for collegiate athletes. For her, running is not only what she does best but where she finds peace.

Stoll Funaro also believes the sport to be beneficial not only to developing Caiola as a leader, but in bringing her joy.

“She’s very inquisitive and wanting to know how to be better in everything. How to approach the race better,” Stoll Funaro said. “She finds joy in running, and when you delight in those joyful things, you are confident in that. I’m just really happy for those who find that.”

With one season left after this semester, Caiola wants to make it count. She aims to keep promoting a platform for mental health awareness while also coping with her own struggles as she continues to break records.

“I think the most important thing through burnout is even if you don’t want to do something, just do it because that’s where most people quit, I find, is when they reach that point,” Caiola said. “So just making sure you show up no matter what, even if you are having a bad day.”