By: Kevin Modeszto | Publish Date: May 8th, 2026
On March 28, 2026, the Kean University Track & Field Team traveled to Ramapo College for their fifth meet of the season. For many of the team’s runners, this was just another meet, but this was the meet of graduate student Alina Chant’s life.
When Chant crossed the finish line for her 10K race, she knew she had put up a time of 42:06. What she did not know at the time and didn’t find out until later that night through the Instagram account for the track team, is that her time broke the school record.
“I was like “wow! Me? Really?’” Chant said, “(I was) glad I could make some history for Kean…I was just trying to make sure I finished.”
Chant is in her first year as a graduate student, pursuing her Master’s of Science in Occupational Therapy.
“There’s a lot more commitment to my schoolwork,” Chant said on being a graduate student athlete, “so sometimes my sports do (fall) to the back end, but I actually use it as a way to get my schoolwork done.”
Juggling schoolwork and sports is nothing new for Chant. She has run track since she was seven years old and ran it up through her junior year of her bachelor’s at Georgian Court University. She used her skills gained from her time as a competitive swimmer for running.
Chant broke the record for her elementary school mile, tried out for the competitive team in middle school, and her history is still being written to this day. History is being written not only in her personal track career, but also at Kean. Not only did she set the record for 10K, she is the first 10K runner at Kean University in two decades.
“Doesn’t matter if the event hasn’t been run,” Coach Danielle Todman said, “she and I talk about the training process to help her prepare for the 10,000m race. So every day and every week, she works her pacing and speed to hit her goals.”
Despite the history she is setting, Chant does not feel pressured in the slightest.
“I don’t care about breaking records,” Chant said, “it’s a nice plus but I just love the adrenaline.”
Chant has let the pressure get to her before. In particular, she recalled the final year as an undergraduate. She never fell out of love with running, but her enthusiasm started to wane that year.
“I never stopped running, but I felt burnt out and needed a break from the competitive atmosphere,” Chant said, “I was definitely starting to feel pressured that I have to perform really well or I have to hit a better time. It made me start not wanting to compete anymore and just run on my own.”
It took her four or five years to get back to the love for competitive running. When she got into Kean, her top school, she went in thinking that her competitive years were over. However, when she settled into Kean, she decided to speak to Coach Danielle about joining the team. She was then welcomed in to start in the Spring 2026 semester.
Chant was described both by Coach Danielle and her teammate Bryan Reeves, as a very outgoing person who loves to joke around, and both view her as a strong asset, both personally and competitively, to the team. Despite being a graduate student, Chant still fits right in with her undergraduate teammates.
“Having a graduate athlete on the team adds a mentor that the other teammates can go to ask questions about being a student and an athlete,” Coach Danielle said.
Chant describes her favorite memory of her track career as not her record-breaking run, but bonding with the distance runners afterwards.
“No one judges each other for age or anything,” Chant said, “I still feel like a kid, so I fit right in with the team.”
While Chant has had an unconventional journey to the Kean University track team, she knew that giving up was never an option and that running was always going to be a part of her life. Even now, Chant still runs marathons and triathlons in her free time.
“Never give up,” Chant said, “maybe you’ll never get back 100%, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep going or keep trying.”
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