Posts tagged 'Matt Baranoski'
NASCAR on Two Wheels
Photo via Steve Boyle
His older brother loved to race bikes, and so, as a boy of only 5 or 6, Matt Baranoski found himself dragged along to the track. He was technically too young to join in, but he knew how to ride, and it hardly seemed fair to make a kid that age sit and watch while the older boys had all the fun. So his parents asked, and the folks in charge at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome said sure, and an exception was made.
Fifteen years and a cabinet-full of trophies later, the exception seems to have worked out pretty well.
It's late April as Baranoski tells the story by phone from suburban Toronto, where he's part of a select group of cyclists training at a sparkling new Canadian cycling center. It's among the best facilities of its kind in the world, and the elite competition is exactly what he needs as he works to peak in time for Rio. "It's always good to be pushed," he says.
In truth, Baranoski doesn't seem like the type to struggle for motivation. A junior national champion by the time he was 12, able to hold his own against top international competition just a few years later, he quite literally never slowed down. His ambitions on the track informed his college choice: The Perkasie, Pa., native chose Penn State Lehigh Valley because of the proximity of the world-class velodrome and the campus's cycling program, led by longtime coach Jim Young, whom Baranoski calls "a legend in the collegiate cycling world." (Baranoski will be joined in Rio by Bobby Lea '06 Berks, a fellow Lehigh Valley alum making his third Olympic appearance.)
Baranoski rides in an event called the keirin, which he calls "the most fun race on the track." It's an eight-lap sprint around the 250-meter banked track, paced by a motorcycle, that leads Baranoski to compare it to NASCAR; world-class cyclists will approach 50 miles per hour down the stretch, occasionally bumping each other to protect their position. "For the last two and a half laps," he says, "it's all-out war."
Six days after his final race in Rio, Baranoski will be back at University Park for his final semester in the Schreyer Honors College; the electrical engineering major is set to graduate in December. It's a quick turnaround, but if anyone can handle that sort of pace, he's probably the guy.
This story appears in the July/August 2016 issue of The Penn Stater, the official publication of the Penn State Alumni Association. Not a member? Click here to join.
Ryan Jones, deputy editor
August 4, 2016 at 11:07 am Bill DiFilippo	2 comments
Matt Baranoski Gets Back on Track
Lehigh Valley Live published a story on Matt Baranoski, the Penn State student who will compete at the Olympics this summer (and who graces the cover of our July/August issue). An electrical engineering major who is on track to graduate in December, Baranoski is one of the premier cyclists in America.
Baranoski hit a serious bump in the road in 2012 that delayed his ascent to the top of American cycling. As he explains alongside his orthopedic surgeon, Baranoski had the opportunity to compete in nationals, but two weeks prior to the event, he broke his collarbone in a crash and needed surgery that required inserting a plate and eight screws.
Baranoski bounced back from that injury in a big way, and now, he has his eyes set on a gold medal in the keirin at Rio 2016. If you'd like to watch Baranoski compete, all of the men's keirin races will take place on Tuesday, August 16. You can find the day's schedule right here.
Bill DiFilippo, online editor
July 29, 2016 at 12:03 pm Bill DiFilippo	Leave a comment
Inside Our July/August 2016 Issue
The countdown to Rio is here, and we have Olympic hopeful and cyclist Matt Baranoski on the cover of our July/August issue. Before he graduates from Smeal this December, he will try to medal in the fastest event at the Games, the kirin. Baranoski is just one of the many Penn Staters to compete on the grandest of stages: Learn about all of our elite athletes—past and present—starting on p. 27.
The magazine also includes a story about the Penn State Center for Sport Concussion and Research, where professor Semyon Slobounov and others are rethinking the diagnoses and treatment of brain injuries.
We also take a look at some of the most iconic Arts Fest posters from over the years. Created by graphic designer Lanny Sommese, the colorful collection—and the stories behind them—start on p. 44. (You'll also get a sneak peek at the new 2016 poster.)
More from the issue: A tribute to Bryce Jordan, the university's 14th president, who passed away in April; a farewell to Christian Brady, who is stepping down as dean for Schreyer Honors College; a recap of the women's rugby national title; and a conversation with Taylor Guelich, who started her freshman year at age 15 and may just be the youngest student to ever enroll at Penn State.
We'd love to hear your feedback on the new issue—comment below or email us at heypennstater@psu.edu.
June 28, 2016 at 11:04 am amyjdowney	12 comments
Matt Baranoski is Heading to Rio
The United States' Olympic Track Cycling team will feature a soon-to-be Penn State alumnus in Rio de Janeiro. Matt Baranoski, a student who will receive his degree in electrical engineering this year, was named to the team on Friday afternoon.
Despite being only 22, Baranoski has an impressive resume. Baranoski competed at the USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships in 2011, 2012, and 2013, competing in eight races over all three years and winning seven of them. (The one he didn't win? He came in second.)
On the national stage, the Schreyer Honors College student has several titles from the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships. Baranoski first competed at nationals in 2010, where he became the youngest national champion in U.S. history at the age of 17 when he won keirin event. He's since gone on to win a number of titles at other Elite Track National Championships.
If you'd like to see all of Baranoski's achievements on the track, here is the list of his race results. Just be warned: There are literally hundreds of entries dating back to 2004.
March 22, 2016 at 1:40 pm Bill DiFilippo	Leave a comment