Athlete Spotlight: Tyler Vargas

posted in: Sports, Spring | 0

Tyler Vargas, a junior student-athlete studying Physics and Math, has found success while competing as a football player in the fall and a track and field athlete in the spring. 

This past fall, during the Boxer’s 2021 football season, Vargas was ranked fourth in the nation among all other Division 3 players in average return yards per kick return. He also received All-Conference Honorable Mention honors from the Northwest Conference. Since the commencement of the football season, Vargas has achieved similar success in track and field, becoming a conference qualifier in both long jump and triple jump.

The California native initially fell in love with football when he started playing in sixth grade. Initially, due to his inexperience, Vargas would rarely see the field. Playing time changed by the time he was in 7th grade, the same year he began to run track. Vargas began to see improvement while competing in both sports and decided to continue as a multi-sport athlete throughout high school.

Despite finding success as a multi-sport athlete in both high school and college, Vargas feels the experience in college has been much more complex than in high school.

“It’s much harder to play two sports in college because it’s difficult to immerse yourself into one sportfully,” said Vargas. “If you choose to be a multi-sport athlete, there isn’t an offseason for either sport.”

According to Vargas, balancing his academics, sports, and personal hobbies due to the workload has also been a struggle. Vargas has committed to creative outlets that help him unwind and enter a peaceful state of mind to combat the stresses of constantly competing. 

“Playing music is a creative outlet where I can express myself through an instrument — it helps me destress,” said Vargas.

This semester, Vargas played trumpet for Pacific’s symphonic band, where he performed most recently on April 16th at Pacific University’s Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center. Vargas also served within Pacific’s jazz band during his first year, which was an experience that motivated him to continue, despite his heavy workload. 

“Playing with the full band and hearing how good some of my peers are individually and within a group — sometimes I get the chills; you can’t describe that musical inspiration,” said Vargas. 

Between his achievements within sports, in the classroom, and in performing, Vargas believes the workload is worth the experience. — Noah Stevenson

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