BY TAQUISHA DRISDELL, EDITOR
Irma Maciukaite is from a small town in Pasvalys, Lithuania known as Sinkhole Park. Maciukaite attended Petro Vileisio Gymnasium High school where she won the Lithuania championship as a senior. After high school, she attended Western Kentucky University but decided to leave, because they cut her scholarship. After this misfortune, Agne Viscokaite-Eggerth, a 2002 McKendree graduate who is known as Mckendree University’s sprints record holder, and who is also an Olympian, told Maciukaite about McKendree and what the track and field program offers. Maciukaite soon decided that she wanted to try it out for herself. Currently, she attends McKendree University where she is majoring in Economics and Finance/Mathematics. Irma is also a part of the Track and Field program here at McKendree where she runs sprints and hurdles and is one of the top athletes on the squad. Since attending school at McKendree, Irma has earned the Academic All-GLVC honor, which, according to www.glvcsports.com, is given to student-athletes who have completed two semesters at their respective institutions and have maintained a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average or have attained a 3.40 GPA of the two most recent semesters. Irma is not only a beast on the track, but she takes her school work serious as
well. “I work hard on the track and in the class because I want to be the best at all I do.” Irma stated, “I came to McKendree University because I wanted to experience the United States. I love living in America and I hope to stay here and work or even get my master’s degree after I receive my undergraduate degree.”
Maciukaite started running track late in her life, but, so far, she has been running for ten years already, and hopes to go professional if finances and her job would allow her to, once she is done with college. Irma won Lithuania U23 championship in the 400 meter hurdles, got third place in 100 meter dash, and second place for North and Baltics State U23 championships in the 400 meter hurdles. When asked what was her most amazing accomplishment, she said with pride, that it was when she was at her high school graduation and was announced as Lithuania’s national champion for her favorite event; the 400 hurdles.
Maciukaite also spent one year in England, where she practiced on her own and got some help with a coach from home to better her athletic skills. She spent every day working harder and harder, practicing on a playground grass because she was determined to defend her title as a Lithuanian champion again. When Irma is finished at McKendree she is looking for the possibility to get her own work out program, as well as a facility that is a good enough place to have a work out system with coaches and athletes who are wonderful to work with. There are many athletes at McKendree that come from all over the world; Irma is just one of the many. It is always good to see others who come from different places and who are willing to share their stories and experiences with the people around them. Coming to the United States can be a bit scary and different, it’s a brave things for someone who came straight out of high school to another country to be on their own. Maciukaite is a very courageous individual to have come all this way to become a better person and to better herself in her track career. You can expect great things from Irma, because she is dedicated and her ambition will sure enough get her further in life and in her career as a McKendree student athlete.
