Jenni Zymet Stars For Bucknell Track Team

Jenni Zymet’s life has always revolved around athletics.

If the 19-year-old weren’t playing sports, “I’d be so bored,” she said.

Because of her drive and dedication, Zymet couldn’t imagine not participating in at least one of the many sports she’s played.

Zymet comes from an athletic family. Her father, Eric, was a baseball player at Teaneck High School and her mother, Marge, was a softball player for St. Cecilia’s. Zymet’s older brother Scott, a 2006 graduate, played baseball and football. Her sister Merissa, a 2007 grad, played soccer and softball.

During her career at PHS, the five-foot-three Zymet excelled on the pitch as a four-year soccer player and two-year captain, the court as a basketball player her sophomore year, the diamond as a four-year softball player and two-year captain, and the track in her junior and senior years.

Now, the 2010 PHS graduate runs track for Division I Bucknell University, a private school in Lewisburg, Pa.

“I do lots of running and studying,” Zymet joked. “Everything is fairly manageable. I spend a lot of time on schoolwork, but I don’t mind as long as I get out what I put in.”

Zymet classifies herself as a long sprinter, but the freshman has been participating in the 200 and her team’s 4x100-meter relay.

“The shorter events are most fun to participate in for me, but the most enjoyable part about track is definitely the team,” she said.

Zymet earned second team All-Patriot League honors for the indoor season.

“The competition is the biggest difference [between high school and college],” said Zymet, who was a first team All-Bergen County selection in the 400m in 2009 and 600m in 2010 at PHS. “There’s always going to be someone just as good or better in your race. I’ve seen the best of the best run. I’ve been at meets with the some of the top runners in the country. It’s a little bit intimidating at first but I hope to be one of them eventually.”

And while her sights are set high, it was hard for Zymet to give up softball.

“This is the first spring in 12 years that I’m not on a softball field,” said Zymet, who was a first team all-league, first team All-Bergen County, second team all-group 3, and all-suburban selection her senior year as an outfielder for PHS. “I love everything about the game."

“It still kills me when I see the Bucknell softball team practicing because softball has been a part of my life since I was little and I almost feel like I should be out there with them,” she added. “It’s so weird to me. I really miss playing.”

As a junior, Zymet earned first team all-league and second team all-county honors.

Zymet had to make the tough decision between track and softball, knowing that she could choose only one, as both sports share the same season.

“Bucknell was too good of a school for me to pass up,” Zymet said. “I fell in love with the campus and when I stayed for my overnight visit, the track team was so welcoming and I already felt at home.”  

Reflecting back on high school, Zymet said that sports provided her fondest memories. She played in the school’s first state sectional final in soccer and won a state sectional championship in softball.

“I played with majority of the girls for so many years and it was the greatest feeling in the world to win a championship together,” Zymet said. “When I think about high school, I automatically think about the teams I played for and who I played with. People leave a bigger mark on you than school material.”

Zymet hasn’t declared a major, but she is leaning toward pursuing a degree in biology. 

After college, she would like to work in a lab and gather research, but eventually teach biology in high school as well as coach.

The Bucknell women’s track and field team won the Patriot League title for the 12^th time in the program’s history on May 7.

Zymet participated in four events. She took first place in the 400m, second in the 200m, third in the 4x400, and led off the gold medal 4x100 team that recorded the fastest time in school history.