WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Troy Cronin, one of the members of the Westfield State University track and field team, is an exceptional athlete. He started sprinting in his sophomore year of high school, and elevated his game when he came to Westfield State.

At two years old, Cronin was diagnosed with Bacterial Meningitis, a relatively rare bacterial infection that affects the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. In some cases, the infection can lead to permanent damage to the brain, or other parts of the body, and even death.

Cronin's condition eventually led to both of his legs being amputated not long after. If you ask him, though, it wasn't a massive hindrance.

"It wasn't hard for me" Cronin explained, "because it happened when I was two years old and my parents put me in all sorts of sports and clubs so I never felt different."

Troy has been a respected and highly competent member of the Westfield track and field team for as long as he's been here.

"I'm not exaggerating when I say he trains around the clock," said Owls' teammate Brent Kane. "He works out with us at practice, at home after practice, and also plays on a sled hockey team in the winter. He's been dealing with some injuries lately and has had trouble finding a comfortable prosthetic sleeve for sprinting, but he's not the type to let an obstacle like that stop him. His tunnel vision on his goals always seems to pay off in the long run." (Brent produced a documentary on Troy, which can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnnHr2rHJnM )

Emboldened by a fire in his belly that drove him to athletics, Cronin dedicated an incredible amount of time towards being the best. Since middle school, Cronin has been aiming to qualify for the Paralympics. While he thinks that the 2020 event in Tokyo might be out of his reach, he's set his sights on the 2024 event.

"I am currently trying to drop my 400-meter time because that is a race that I have a lot of potential in, and would like to run at nationals either this or next year," said Cronin. "I will never stop trying to become as fast as I can, and I can't wait to see what my future holds."

Even though he won't be able to enter the Olympic fray in 2020, Troy is exceptionally confident about his path going forward. His path to the 2024 Paralympics are clear, sure, but he has ambitions beyond that. Aside from the purely athletic, Troy has plans to break into the medical world and make a significant, tangible impact on people in a similar situation.

Troy is going to be expanding his education into a master's degree once he's graduated, studying orthotics and prosthetics.

"After grad school I want to fit people for prosthetics and orthotics and help to use my experience as an amputee to teach my patients that although being an amputee is tough, there is nothing that you can't do if you work at it. I want to get my patients active and for them to have pride in all the obstacles that they have overcome."

On top of his hefty athletic ambitions, that's no small order. Troy fully believes he can handle it, though. If for no other reason, then because of the faith he has in the coaching staff here at Westfield, and the teammates that he's dedicated so much to. "These coaches are the best in the nation and don't treat me any different than they would any other athlete," said Cronin. "In addition to my coaches I see my teammates as family. Everyday we work through exhausting workouts and in meets we cheer each other on."

Troy is, beyond anything else, a person that won't let anything stop him. That doesn't come from his legs - that comes from the sheer willpower that he commands both on and off the track, that lets him drive through adversity and find success and positivity on the other end.

"People respect him…. He doesn't want to be treated any differently than anybody else," said coach Sean O'Brien, head coach of the Owls track and field team.

Don't be surprised to see Troy Cronin in the 2024 Paralympics. He won't take no for an answer.

-- by Mike Cottuli, sports information intern