WORCESTER, Mass. — Bernice Mensah hadn’t planned to join a track team in high school. She thought she would do volleyball like her sister did. But when she tried out for the team her freshman year, she didn’t make the cut.

But when one of the coaches saw Mensah’s prowess as she ran the drills, she gave her some advice: try out for track. And so she did, competing in the triple jump and eventually continuing on at the collegiate level at Worcester State University. Her hard work, both on the track and off, earned her the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.

“I can’t believe it’s me because when you look at yourself, you feel so inadequate,” Mensah said. “To be honest, I have to say thank you to my coach and the athletic department for all the support, and to my team also. I don’t think I would have been able to get all of these awards and recognitions without their help.”

Mensah. Courtesy of Worcester State University.

Mensah’s humility does not match her accomplishments. She competed in both indoor and outdoor track seasons throughout her four years with the Worcester State Lancers, receiving nine individual conference titles during her career as both a sprinter and jumper. She won three MASCAC titles during the 2018 indoor season, in which she won gold in the 60-meter dash, long jump and triple jump. She defended her title in the 60-meter dash in 2019. For outdoor track, Mensah won the triple jump in 2018, 2019 and 2021 at the conference championship meet. In 2019, she also won gold in the 100-meter dash.

Mensah majored in biology with a pre-med concentration and a minor in chemistry, graduating summa cum laude with a 3.979 GPA last month.

Since 1980, the MASCAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year is awarded annually to a student athlete who has excelled in both the classroom and field of play while also maintaining at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average throughout their last year of athletic eligibility.

“Track is always something I look forward to,” Mensah said. “I think by being a sprinter, it helps me on the runway,” Mensah said. “I think the fun thing about the jumps is that people aren’t as confident as when you’re racing, like it’s a more relaxed pace, so it’s nice to get your mind on something different.”

This past season, Mensah also took part in Worcester State’s MASCAC Champion 4×100 meter relay. She was the team captain.

“This year, with everything going on, I think the team really pulled through,” Mensah said. “To come in second place for the girls team, we worked really really hard for it. That made me excited.”

While many often think of running as an individual sport, Mensah never thought she was alone.

“Once you start training, you realize there are different strengths and always something you can learn from someone,” Mensah said. “Every year, I’ve noticed that the coaches have been improving. The team has been improving. I think that’s what I love the most. I can’t wait to see what we do next.”

Mensah said that teammate Brenda Thomas was her mentor. Thomas, who is a year older than Mensah, also ran track and majored in biology with a minor in chemistry.

“Because of her, I was able to juggle everything pretty well,” Mensah said. “I settled in or adapted to college life better than other people, I think, because of her.”

Thomas helped Mensah prep for both track and academics, sharing tips as well as telling her what classes she needed to take and how to accomplish her goals. Now, Mensah is taking a gap year before going to medical school.

“I just need to find a team to train with,” she said.