On the Ground: Sunsets and Sportsmanship on Graham Field

At first glance, York College of Pennsylvania may look like a typical campus in a typical college town—but look a little closer, and you’ll discover a community full of hidden (and not-so-hidden) gems. In our On the Ground series, we explore some of YCP’s most memorable places and spaces with help from our own Spartan students. 

Isabella Ewing ’25 knows how important a good track is to her well-being.

Isabella, who is a self-designed Sport Philanthropy major, first visited Graham Field during New Spartan Days. York College was the only college she was able to visit during COVID, and Isabella wasn’t focusing on doing Track and Field.

“Before COVID happened in high school, I wasn't really planning on looking at doing track in college, because mainly it was just the thing I do after school,” she says. 

During COVID, Isabella realized that she wanted to do track in college after all.

“I need the socialization, I need the friends, I need the energy of going and doing a hard workout and then coming back and just collapsing into bed, [and] being able to enjoy hot showers,” she says.

During that initial visit to the track, Isabella fell in love. “I'm going to be running here in [the fall],” she says of her thoughts upon seeing the field.

Now a rising sophomore, Isabella’s appreciation for track and YCP’s Graham Field has only grown. 

“You just feel nice that…you're going to go there and do workouts there and do home meets,” she says.

Isabella appreciates how Graham Field is lit at night.

“The one home meet we had was super fun because it was a twilight meet. So, you're running underneath the lights because we're one of the few [tracks] that have lights [so] you can do a night meet,” she says.

She especially appreciates how the track team and its field create a sense of community.

“Everybody on the team is so nice. We have people who are breaking records constantly, but they're the most humble people ever,” Isabella says. “We all live in the same area. We all wake up super early, get my car, [and] drive over…so it's nice to be able to have a little community [at the field].”

Isabella’s favorite aspect of the field is how it’s a prime location for amazing sunsets.

“Sometimes, if you hit it right in the winter or fall, you can see really pretty sunsets,” she says. “There's all the sun behind the field, and it is so pretty—I just absolutely love sunsets. You get the pinks and blues and purples—it’s just so beautiful.”