Virginia Military Institute’s cadet-athletes have to juggle cadet life, heavy academic course loads, and their NCAA Division I sport. Committed to both academic and athletic pursuits, balancing their rigorous schedule in both sports and school requires a certain level of commitment and discipline. Behind the Balance is a series that focuses on those cadet-athletes and how they handle the hurdles of the day-to-day. 

LEXINGTON, Va. Oct. 7, 2024 — It wasn’t love at first run for Abby Fiorillo ’25. She said her father made her do cross country when she was in high school, but the longer she ran, her love for the sport grew.  

It brought her community, and it was something that she was excited to continue to do while at Virginia Military Institute.  

“I love the competition,” she said. “It's challenging, and I like the community around it.”

The physics major chose VMI for the ROTC aspect; she will be commissioning into the U.S. Army after graduation next year.  

“I chose VMI for a lot of reasons,” she said. “My brother came here, so it was familiar. And then I really wanted the community that VMI has to offer.” 

That community can be found in the Corps and within the cross country team. She said when she’s training during the week, she’s often running with a friend or finding time to reflect on her own. Her daily runs average between seven and eight miles, while she’s doing between 40 and 45 miles weekly.  

“My favorite part about cross country is practicing. I love working out, and I don't have to plan when my workouts are going to be. I already know I have a specified time,” she said. “It's consistent. When I'm not studying or when I'm stressed, cross country gives me that outlet and that mental focus.” 

She’s chatting it up when she runs with friends. Other days, she opts to listen to music on her phone.  

“Some of the time, it's like meditation,” she said. “And sometimes I don't even think about anything. I'm just running.” 

It’s become sort of routine for her, she said. 

“I really don't pay attention to it anymore because I'm so used to running it,” she said. “Now I just want to just go into my little mental state and clear my mind, or think about what happened that day, or something that's on my mind, or what I want to do in the future.” 

It can also serve as a planning period for her. Cadet-athletes at VMI not only have their responsibilities with their selected sport but cadet duties on top of that. Cadets are also required to take physical fitness classes twice a week, participate in ROTC all four years, prepare for room and uniform inspections, practice for parade, guard duty, and more. 

Her regimented days begin at 6:45 a.m. and don’t end until after 8 p.m. She does set a hard stop at 10:30 p.m. 

“I try to get as much sleep as I can, just because it's taxing on your body and I enjoy it,” she said about her sport. 

She said having a plan and system is important, especially knowing your priorities.

"I love my sport, but I'm here for academics. I'm really getting a degree out of this. It's having priorities and knowing how to schedule it all, staying on top of homework, practicing every day and doing everything you can, just to fit it all in,” she said. “I think I was pretty good at routine in high school, but VMI made me realize that I can fit so much more into my routine than I thought.”

Fiorillo said the constant go of VMI will help her become a great leader. With her desire to commission into the Army, the ability of coming up with a plan and procedure will lend itself to her leading a platoon, she said.  

"Knowing that there are going to be early days, late days ... every day is going to be different. But making sure that you have your priorities straight is going to help with that,” she said. “I think VMI fosters that shared suffering of everyone doing the same thing. No one wants to wake up at 7 a.m. every day. But it shows that we're a little bit more responsible, and it instills those characteristics.” 

Laura Peters Shapiro
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE