Soccer Standout Anderson Completes Jersey City Marathon

The schedule of a Division II student-athlete is pretty full: classes, practice, games, study hall and everything else that “regular students” go through day in and day out, on and off campus. So what did junior nursing major and standout Caldwell soccer midfielder Presley Anderson decide to add to her plate? How about a full marathon, in the form of the 2023 Jersey City Marathon, held on April 23 in the state’s second-largest city.

Once the Cougars’ season concluded in November, the Denville native, a high-achiever in and out of the classroom, decided to challenge herself further and began training for the full 26.2-mile marathon.

“One day after soccer I decided to go for a run. I thought I’d do two or three miles, and I ended up doing five,” said the 2022 CACC All-Academic and Collegiate Sports Communicators All-Academic Team member. “And I thought, ‘I could run more. Why not challenge myself mentally and physically and set a goal to run a full marathon?’”

And though she had to put foot to pavement for many miles by herself to prepare, Anderson had an army of teammates, family and friends supporting her literally every step of the way.

“Six of my teammates and my mom were able to come see me finish the race and were there to cheer me on as I ran through the finish line,” she said. “I was beyond happy to be able to share this special moment with them after having achieved this goal.”

And for a first-time marathoner, Anderson’s time of four hours, 56 minutes was quite impressive. In addition to her built-in Caldwell rooting section, the Morris Knolls High School graduate and two-year starter for Coach Nate Guagliardi’s squad was buoyed by the support across the entire course.

“The atmosphere of the race was incredible with there being over 5,000 runners total and supporters along the course,” the popular Anderson added. “It was an amazing experience having people you did not even know supporting you and cheering you on throughout the 26.2 miles.”

This year, she’s back in action as one of the key returners for the squad now coached by Sammy Adjei, looking for goals of another kind: those that find the back of the net on the soccer pitch. 🟥