GoYeo Storytellers: Chilly Wallace '23

Even with just one season under her belt, Oberlin College sophomore Chilly Wallace has proven she can compete with just about anyone, including herself.

Just shy of two years ago, Wallace was a senior at Montgomery High School in New Jersey competing on national stages for both her school’s cheer and track & field teams. In 2019, Wallace led her cheer squad to their fourth-consecutive appearance at the UCA National Championship, which ended with a national title. That same year, Wallace qualified for the NJSIAA Track & Field Championship in both the 100-meter hurdles and triple jump events. Setting a personal record on her first jump (37’ 0.75), she earned the sectional title and moved on to the finals where she finished 19th overall.

Although juggling two sports at such an elite level led to 13-hour days from November to June, Wallace said it all paid off once she set foot on Oberlin’s campus.

Once on campus, she trained with Oberlin’s track & field team for months before her collegiate debut at the Spartan Holiday Classic in Cleveland, Ohio on December 7, 2019. Wallace competed in the triple jump and 60-meter hurdles events where she placed third and fourth, respectively. Little did she know at the time, Wallace had just broken the school record in the hurdles, recording a time of 9.60s during her preliminary run. Later that season, at the Dr. William Taraschke Team Challenge, Wallace broke another school record in the 55-meter hurdles in a time of 8.84 seconds, breaking the 24-year old time by five one hundredths of a second (.05). 

Continuing to add to her impressive rookie resume, Wallace finished first on the team and fourth overall in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAC Indoor Championships. The highlight of the meet was her third-place finish in the triple jump (36-01.25) to earn all-conference honors en route to being named NCAC Newcomer of the Year. 

Although having her 2020 outdoor track & field season cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, Wallace continues to look forward to the day that she gets to return to the field and continue to compete in the sport that has given her so much. 

Beyond her involvement and success in track & field, Wallace is a board member of the Black Student Athlete Group (BSAG) and has enjoyed watching the group grow and make an impact on the campus community. Since its formation in the Spring semester of 2020, BSAG has grown to a total membership of over 50 student-athletes. Wallace serves as the group’s secretary and has taken on the tall task of social media coordination and organizing recruiting panels for incoming athletes and recruits.

Although distance learning and health concerns have restricted BSAG’s ability to meet in person, she and the other seven officers have made it a point to make each member feel as welcome and involved as possible.

Between her success on the track and her involvement in BSAG, Wallace balances a difficult workload as a neuroscience major with a minor in sociology on a pre-med track. Her studies gave her the chance to shadow Oberlin alum Dr. Inyang Udo-Inyang '12 at the Cleveland Clinic this past year and also earned the opportunity to volunteer at a local hospital where she assisted doctors and nurses in patient care.

“Sometimes with first-years you have to slow play the amount of work it's going to take to get then to where they want to be," Appenheimer added. "Chilly  is someone special that is going to be winning more awards and doing great things in the years to come.”

With the second half of her college experience yet to be written, Wallace will be making a big impact on the track and within the Oberlin community for years to come.