Behind the Balance: Samantha Layton ’28 — Keydet Women’s Cross Country 

Virginia Military Institute’s cadet-athletes have to juggle cadet life, heavy academic course loads, and their NCAA Division I sport. Committed to both academic and athletic pursuits, balancing their rigorous schedule in both sports and school requires a certain level of commitment and discipline. Behind the Balance is a series that focuses on those cadet-athletes and how they handle the hurdles of the day-to-day. 

Samantha Layton ’28 didn’t want to be just a number when she went to college. Originally from North Carolina, she was eying larger schools like North Carolina State, but the large class sizes overwhelmed her.  

Virginia Military Institute offered her a chance at several things — running cross country, a civil engineering degree, and the option to pursue becoming an Army Corps of Engineers officer.  

She later discovered that the Corps of Engineers wasn’t for her, but the bonds she made at the Institute made her stay. 

“Honestly, it’s the people and the atmosphere here,” she said. “It’s a hard school to be in, but you bond closer with the people at this school.” 

Her father got her into cross country at an early age — her first 5K was when she was 6. 

“It was like walking with my mom through the race,” she joked. 

That’s another bond she’s continuing at VMI — the one with her father.  

“He ran throughout high school and on the college level, which made me want to run collegiately too,” she said. “Being a runner really hardens your mental toughness because it’s hard to consistently run. My philosophy is you can run with just one foot in front of the other, but you can’t be a good runner unless you work at it consistently and work through that pain because it’s tough to run five or 10 miles some days.” 

The civil engineering major and mathematics minor is taking 18.5 credits this semester, and for the foreseeable future.  

Her days are long: waking up at 6:30 a.m. and classes all day, then straight into practice at 4:45 p.m. Each day varies on what workouts she does with the team — it’s either running, drills, hills, or weightlifting.   

Cadet-athletes at VMI not only have their responsibilities with their selected sport but cadet duties on top of that. Cadets are also required to take physical fitness classes twice a week, participate in ROTC all four years, prepare for room and uniform inspections, practice for parade, guard duty, and more. 

Balancing everything is challenging, but Layton pushes through when it comes to both running and academics.  

“In order to get better, you have to push through those hard times to run that personal record,” she said. “Because with our sport, you are competing against yourself.” 

She said staying consistent is important.  

“You can’t really relax too much because then you have schoolwork that will pile up,” she explained. “Making a schedule is also a very key part, because sometimes deadlines will sneak up on you.” 

She’s developed more organizational skills at VMI. Keeping a strict schedule and color-coding things helps her stay on track.  

“I’ve known that I can withstand more than I thought I could, because it’s difficult being here, but rewarding.,” she stated. “I definitely pay more attention to detail and appreciate the little things more.” 

Layton knows that her time at VMI will translate to her time outside of it. Having an internship over the summer, she could tell the difference of what has already been instilled in her.  

“I would show up on time, which is very stressed here at VMI,” she said.  

The honor code is also something she has seen carry through. 

“It really is cemented into you and carried on to other things,” she said.