SCALING THE HEIGHTS: A PROFILE OF ALAYNA BUSH

“I felt so supported and so loved,” Alayna Bush says as she describes the result of her first cross country race for the Le Moyne Dolphins after spending three years playing softball.   

Bush is currently in her fourth year with the Phins but this year marks her first with the cross country and track team. In her first three years at Le Moyne, she dedicated herself to “bringing a positive attitude everyday and upholding the team standards,” with the softball program.  

The special twist in Bush’s story begins with her mother, Janelle Bush, who signed Alayna up for a completely different sport, recreational soccer. “I started playing in fifth grade and I just fell in love with it,” Alayna says. She credits soccer for her competitive spirit and athletic beginnings.
 

Bush grew up and began playing softball for a travel team called the UNY Revolution, where she first met Le Moyne softball’s head coach Tracey Roman. Bush played for Roman’s travel ball team from ages 14 to 16. During this time Bush realized she wanted to take her softball career to the next level and began to consider Le Moyne College. She talked to Coach Roman and decided to commit to the ‘Phins program in Syracuse, NY in 2021.

Bush’s college career began as an excited freshman with bright eyes for the new level of play she would embark on. The goal of playing collegiate softball was in her grips and she believed this was what she was meant to do.   

However while going through the ups and downs of college ball, Bush realized that after three years of playing collegiate softball she was no longer experiencing the excitement she yearned for and didn’t know where to go from there. “I fell out of love with the environment I was in,” Bush says. She explained the mental health struggles that came along with this process and what it took to get past them. 

“I think I got really good over the years realizing that softball is only something I do. It’s not necessarily who I am or who I was, that there was more to me than just someone that played softball,” Bush expresses. She struggled with the idea of leaving the team in fear that she might be labeled “a quitter.”

The ultimate decision fell at the end of the 2025 softball season when she approached Coach Roman to break the news. Bush emphasized how encouraging Roman was as she brought up the idea of joining the cross country team instead of simply stepping away from athletics all together. “It felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders,” Bush says, describing the feeling of officially leaving the program.   

Bush’s transition to cross country began with a meeting with Le Moyne cross country and track head coach, Robin Wheeless, who immediately welcomed Bush with open arms. The change of sports wasn’t the only thing that shifted for Bush, as the head on her shoulders went through a complete turn for the best.  

“I just get excited to go run and that feeling was missing for awhile,” Bush says. She expresses an immense amount of gratitude towards being able to be a part of a team that ultimately brought her spark back.

With the complete switch of sports, Bush identifies similarities in the mental game. She credits softball for training her mind to be able to push through any task that is asked of her. Another factor that played a part in her ability to complete her new workouts was her teammates. Bush praises junior captain, Mackenzie Ples, expressing how she helped solidify this seamless transition. The team has been nothing but welcoming of Bush and the coaching staff has made her a very comfortable member of their community.  

“Comparison is the thief of joy,” Bush recites. Life as a cross country athlete has taught Bush that no matter what you do, you should be happy doing it. Whether it is in softball or in her new running career, Bush urges that if something does not serve you anymore, it is best to let it go. However, this wisdom came with time and conscious effort.  

“I think freshman year me would be so proud,” Bush reminisces. She explains how her younger self was always so worried about what everyone thought of her and what she was doing with her life. This had her trapped within her own mind.  

Through the transition of sports, she has overcome the need to please the people who don’t dictate how her life actually goes. She urges other athletes to understand that “it is your four years” and that “you get to decide how you spend them.”

Cross country has given Bush the opportunity to regain her excitement towards athletics and help guide other athletes experiencing a similar situation. Her vigorous schedule still keeps her disciplined and she has fallen in love with her new lifestyle. Her practices consist of tasks such as long runs, hill workouts, trail runs, lifts, and mobility exercises.  

Bush challenges herself during every practice, lift and race that she attends. It is something she looks forward to day in day out despite the difficulties it brings on.  

“Any race that I run, I joke about it to people, is a personal best for me,” Bush says. Every race she runs, she has the goal of improving even if only by a second. These goals excite her and only bring her farther into her future where she expresses how intrigued she is to find new things to experience post college. Bush even mentions wanting to take up boxing eventually!

Bush’s first collegiate cross country race was a home meet and a memorable one with her old softball teammates, significant other, and family lining the course, cheering her on. She finished middle of the pack which was a major accomplishment for Bush. She explains how she was so caught up in the adrenaline and difficulty of the race that she felt euphoric.  

As she crossed the finish line she was met with all the reassurance she needed. Bush had made the right decision. Completing this race meant a lot more than just not coming in last for Bush; it proved that sometimes what other people have planned for you is not what will always come to fruition. Bush trusted herself, and the support from loved ones, to make one of the most difficult yet most rewarding decisions of her athletic career.      

While reminiscing on this first race moment, Bush sheds tears of gratitude that reminded her why all the ones of struggle were well worth it.