Photo: Emily Paine

Chris Sims ’25 is a rare two-sport athlete who soars at the track and tackles on the football field.

Inside Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, track & field events take place just a hop, skip and jump away from the football field. But for Chris Sims ‘25, the two sports represent a world of difference.

For the triple jumper and cornerback, the journey from one sport to the other requires time management, no-days-off determination and a willingness to transform his physique from one season to the next.

As a football player, Sims needs muscle mass to jam or tackle, while as a track athlete, he requires lean muscle to run fast and soar far. Like 47 feet, 1 inch far, Sims’ best triple jump distance.

“After track season ends, I start to pack on my football weight,” he says. “I gain back about 10 to 15 pounds. It’s a totally different lifting program and training routine. Then, at the end of football season, that weight comes off, and I start my track training.”

This physical transformation is why some colleges avoid recruiting dual-sport athletes. Sure enough, in Sims’ junior year of high school, recruiters from other schools asked him to pick a lane. “They felt if I did two sports, it would take away from one,” he says. “In a way, I agree with that. I mean, I sometimes wish I did spring training for football or fall training for track. But it all comes together in the end, which makes it a really good experience for me.”

This do-it-all attitude formed at age 5 when Sims sought a way to connect with his athletically inclined older brother, Micah ’20. By middle school, Chris excelled in football, basketball and track at The Haverford School in the Philadelphia suburbs. Bucknell’s track team first offered him a spot, and the football team allowed him to walk on.

“It was a dream come true to start at a Division I level and play two sports,” says the economics major. “I just want to help the teams in whatever way possible.”

His team-first mentality explains why Sims was selected by his peers to be track team captain. He is willing not just to motivate his fellow jumpers but also to lift up the whole team.

Sims knows individual performances can boost the entire team’s morale, similar to how a key interception can change a football game. “If a distance kid runs really well, that’s awesome for our team,” he says. “It’s not just, ‘Oh, he set a PR [personal record]’ — it takes the whole team higher.”