By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications

 

This summer, Adrian Vitello found herself running in Ireland where she was interning with a research program in the Microbiology department of NUI (National University of Ireland) Galway.

 

Whether it’s running in Ireland, or competing in soccer and track and field, Adrian Vitello has always been running.

 

“There was a canal very close by, which features a beautiful view,” she said. “It was right along the water and you could go as far as you wanted. One day, I ran six miles on it.”

 

A senior, Vitello is being put in situations to succeed, and she’s flourishing. One of those situations was her internship in Ireland through the Lehigh in Ireland program.

 

“I was interested in traveling and (teammate) Amanda Stratton was going to Ireland, so she put Ireland in my head,” said Vitello, a bioengineering major. “I wanted to work in bioresearch because I hadn’t really done anything hands-on, working in the lab environment.”

 

Vitello ended up in the microbiology department at NUIG.

 

“I was working with microbacterium, which are bacteria found in water systems and warm environments,” she said. “They were looking to find a way to test for certain bacteria because they’re most commonly found in people whose immune systems are compromised. I was working on trying to design a test to find certain nontuberculosis microbacterium in the water systems, in people’s blood or immune systems.”

 

Sometimes, this can show up as a different type of microbacterium, so Vitello worked on a test that would clearly differentiate the two, which would ultimately pay dividends down the road.

 

“I was mainly working in the lab, but a lot of what I was doing in the beginning was more research-based,” she said. “I also determined all the types of sequencing, trying to find genes that are preserved throughout all the microbacterium.”

 

The summer internship is just the latest of numerous examples of Vitello’s growth as an all-around student, and athlete. Despite a busy schedule, she found time to keep up with her soccer by running, joining a gym with Isabel McKeown of Lehigh field hockey (who she was rooming with) and even reaching out to a local soccer team.

 

“I contacted the coach of Galway WFC, so I got to train with them a couple times,” said Vitello. “The team was super nice and it was a good experience to play with them because they had a different style. They played with a very fast pace and high intensity.”

 

One of the best ways to describe Vitello’s game at Lehigh is high intensity.

 

As a junior, Vitello was a first team All-Patriot League midfielder, helping the Mountain Hawks earn the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. One of her big advantages is her conditioning and stamina. Watch any Mountain Hawks’ game and it looks like Vitello could run all day. Part of that stems back to her time running track.

 

“Track made me very disciplined and made me always run and work out,” she said. “Coming out of track season, I was probably the fittest I had ever been.”

 

Vitello considered running track in college as well, but chose to focus solely on soccer.

 

“It was too much for me to handle two sports, along with academics,” she said. “I definitely wanted to play soccer in college and I wasn’t going to stray from that. I had never just focused strictly on soccer, so I wanted to see how much I could improve and how much better I could get if I only focused on one sport.”

 

As a freshman, Vitello made an immediate impact within the Lehigh women’s soccer program, playing 15 games with 13 starts as a freshman. She came in pretty polished, but has continued to improve, which has been a result of a tireless work ethic.

 

“Without question, Adrian is one of the hardest workers I have ever coached,” said Lehigh head coach Eric Lambinus. “It’s really easy to discuss things like work ethic and toughness with the team when one of our best players consistently works the hardest and looks to improve every day. She has transitioned from an athletic and skillful player to a complete box-to-box midfielder.

 

“Adrian has the desire to be a great player while staying incredibly humble and genuine. That’s a pretty good combination.”

 

Vitello’s on-field and off-field successes overlap and they’re not mutually exclusive. Through her summer experience, Vitello has become more confident as a person, which should translate onto the soccer field.

 

“It was really good for me to be independent and be in Ireland on my own, figuring out things and meeting new people,” she said. “It was great to expand my horizons. It was definitely a growing experience.”

 

Vitello is always looking to improve as a player, teammate and leader, but has strong self-awareness to realize, and embrace, who she is and not try to be something that she’s not.

 

“I’m definitely a lot more independent and more confident after this summer,” said Vitello. “I’ve always been more of a leader by example because I’m naturally more on the quiet side - especially in larger groups of people. Alyssa (Riporti) is more of our vocal leader.

 

“I do see myself becoming more confident and more vocal than I was in the past, but I don’t want to change too much because I’ve accepted who I am.”

 

Seeing soccer played in a different way, with Galway FC, will help Vitello’s confidence as well.

 

“It was interesting to see how they played differently from us,” she said. “They were a little quicker and faster with their passing and they were very high intensity. It may be something I can bring into Lehigh and change about my style of play, because it definitely opened my eyes to how I can play with a faster pace.”

 

Vitello and the Mountain Hawks have big goals. They know they’re capable of beating anybody. In fact, Lehigh was the only team to defeat eventual Patriot League Champion Bucknell in the regular season last year. Vitello has been (and will continue to be) a key player in the Mountain Hawks continuing to raise the bar.

 

“Adrian has already established herself on our team and in the Patriot League with her play and work ethic,” said Lambinus. “We are looking for her to exert more of her influence on our team, and in our games. She already dominates the field defensively from her midfield position, and we believe she can do the same on the offensive end.  Adrian definitely has the ability to be the best true midfielder in the Patriot League.”

 

Vitello has always been running. Being a senior, running as part of a college soccer team is nearing its end, but it’s not over yet. Vitello and the 2017 Mountain Hawks have many goals in front of them, but they’re focused on the process of improving every day, not the end result.

 

“Coach says we shouldn’t think about a championship, but rather take things one day at a time,” said Vitello. “I want to keep improving and have my best year yet.”