Athlete Highlight: Caitlyn Chesson
Runners have a special spark you don’t see in every other sport. Their drive, determination and will are stronger than most people know, and Caitlyn Chesson (CAS ‘23) is no exception. A sprinter on Regent’s Track and Field team, Chesson’s events include the 200 and 400-meter dash, along with the 4×100-meter relay and the 4×400-meter relay. In addition to her races, she also enjoys serving as a team captain this year. She’s loved the opportunity to be a resource to those who are walking a path she already has, and she has a deep desire to help guide her teammates in any way she can.
Her first year with the track team began in the Fall of 2021 after transferring from a college near her home in Central Coast, CA. Although she ran for two years at community college before her move to Virginia Beach, she didn’t intend to compete for Regent Athletics. However, when running on a track for fun at the beginning of the semester, she crossed paths with the head coach,
Cesar Guridy, who gave her his card and let her know she was welcome to join the Regent team should she decide to do so. “I took that as a sign from God that I didn’t need to give up something I love,” said Chesson, and she has been a part of the Track and Field family ever since.
Chesson is a student-athlete with not only a talent for running but also impressive professional aspirations. She will graduate this May with a psychology major and a criminal justice minor. She hopes to pursue a career with the US Marshals upon earning her degree. This desire comes not only from a family that works in law enforcement but also from her passion for helping others and protecting people from the evils of the world.
Already taking steps to begin the world-changing work she plans to continue after graduation, she is the outreach coordinator for RESCUE Initiative, the anti-human trafficking group on campus. This position has presented unique opportunities, such as meeting and hosting Virginia’s Attorney General’s Director of Anti-Human Trafficking, Tanya Gould, when she came to speak at Regent. Her passion for fighting human trafficking stems from the exigence of the problem. Chesson noted that human trafficking is “an extremely prevalent issue that [often] goes unnoticed.” She considers RESCUE Initiative to be the first step to familiarize herself with fighting human trafficking, and she presents the question in all of this: “Why not start now?”
Through her connections in RESCUE Initiative, Chesson has also been able to volunteer as a project assistant for Freekind, one of their partners. In this position, she helped organize the Celebrate Freedom Gala, an annual fundraiser to support survivors of human trafficking.
Chesson is not just an athlete–she is also a student, a servant and a leader with professional and servanthood accomplishments. If you would like to support her and the rest of the Regent University Track and Field team this season, head to some of their meets! The indoor season goes from December through February, and the outdoor season begins in March.
