Reagan Cerney’s track career has been full of success — from her days at Newtown High School through her sophomore year — at the Division I level — at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn. It’s been chockfull of personal records, championships, and included bouncing back from a bad break — a broken back … sustaining three transverse process fractures to be exact.

Cerney was runner-up in the 800 meter race (2:22.11) in her first collegiate meet at the Bison Opener, during her freshman year, and went on to qualify for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships in the 500 meter event.

A week after qualifying for the championship meet in her first collegiate season, Cerney slipped on her dorm room stairs and broke her back. After a month off to recover, plus an additional two weeks when Cerney learned she was also overcoming mononucleosis, the track standout got back into her sport partway into the spring outdoor season and earned all league recognition.

“I spent a lot of time in the pool aqua jogging after the injury to stay in shape. I slowly started to run longer and faster, as well as slowly get back into my usual workouts with the team,” Cerney recalls. “Because of the toll the mono took on my energy, I went down a distance [400 meter] in outdoor where I made the Patriot League roster in the event.”

This past winter and spring, in Cerney’s sophomore campaign, Bucknell’s track and field program had tremendous success.

Cerney helped the Bison capture the winter indoor and spring outdoor Patriot League championships. During the winter, Cerney and the 4x800 relay team came in first and broke three records: the Patriot League, Bucknell, and Naval Academy Facility all-time record. Cerney also placed sixth in the open 800 and third in the 4x400 meter relay.

In this past spring’s league championships, Cerney came in third overall in the 800 with a personal record time of 2:13 and scored points in the 4x400 and 4x800 and was integral in Bucknell’s win over Boston University, Army, Navy, Lehigh, Loyola, Lafayette, Holy Cross, Colgate, and Lafayette.

“It’s been great. Especially with what I’ve been through,” Cerney said of this success on the track.

Cerney has stood out in her events while being a member of Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and making the dean’s list. She’s earning a double major in global management and Spanish.

The Bucknell standout set several records while competing at Newtown High School, including the 300, 400, 600, and 800 marks, and was part of the 4x200 record-setting relay squad, before graduating in 2013.

Cerney says Doug Russell, coach of the NHS track and field girls’ team, was a strong supporter of hers in high school and had a big influence on her continuing to run in college. “I think he’s the reason why I wanted to compete at the collegiate level,” she said of Russell, adding that her high school coach “made me realize the talent I didn’t even realize I had.”

The most rewarding aspect of track, for Cerney, like many runners, is that preparation can equate directly to success during competitions.

“I fell in love with how you could put your work in and you would really see it,” Cerney said.

The mental aspect of track at the collegiate level is what is most challenging for Cerney. In addition to putting in as many as four hours of practice and workout time each day, runners know exactly who and what times they are up against for a given race, and also are attempting to beat their own best times.

“You’re constantly thinking about it — on and off the track,” she said of competing in college.

During the summer offseason, Cerney usually runs six times per week, around four miles each day. She’s in the midst of her easiest training since the winter campaign won’t get going until December.

Her younger sister, Makenna, has also had a great run at Newtown High, and attributes much of her success to Reagan. Makenna, who will be a junior this fall, runs track in part to keep in shape for soccer, but says Reagan had a big influence on her getting involved with track. Makenna used to attend Reagan’s meets at Blue & Gold Stadium and has followed in her footsteps — setting records for the Nighthawks.

Makenna broke the 400 meter and the 300 meter hurdles records, won the South-West Conference Championship in the 300 hurdles, and came is second overall the Class LL state championship 300 hurdles event.

Makenna said Reagan trained with and motivated her when she set out to break the 300 hurdles record, something Makenna wasn’t sure she could do.

“I ended up doing it. And the first person I wanted to hug was her,” Makenna said.