Change. It's a natural occurrence in life and for former cross country / track runner Caitlin Napoleoni it is part of her career every day.
Napoleoni currently works as the morning weather anchor at WPTZ, an NBC affiliate in Burlington, Vermont & Plattsburgh, New York. The job is a change for her as she relocated after beginning her broadcasting career at KJTV Fox 34 in Lubbock, Texas.
"I moved to this new position in late August because it's a full-time weather job," said Napoleoni. "I love everything about this position including the 1 a.m. alarm clock to get me set for the morning show. Forecasting the weather is perpetually interesting, something different every day."
The change for Napoleoni moved her from a weekend weather anchor and weekday reporter to a full-time weather position. The move in markets was also a change going from a Lubbock TV market that is 143rd in the nation to a top 100 market (Burlington/Plattsburgh is ranked No. 93).
"I absolutely loved my time in Lubbock and I didn't mind the reporting," added Napoleoni. "But I wanted to find a job that I truly passionate about, in my case the weather, where I could find true happiness."
Change is something the former distance runner from Crystal Lake, Ill., has had to adjust to from her early days at Eastern Illinois to her current employment in the Northeast.
"Geoff Masanet was the coach at EIU who gave me a chance at being an EIU Athlete. I was not the most promising recruit and probably would not have considered EIU if not for him," said Napoleoni. "During my career we had a coaching change and Coach
Erin Howarth took over and really pushed me. She would coach us to not settle for what is expected but to push through and strive for the 'unreachable goals'. That motivation and drive has translated into my life."
With the drive of Howarth and others at EIU, Napoleoni was able to find success in her athletic endeavors. She closed out her career earning first team All-OVC honors in cross country as part of the Panthers 2011 championship squad. She also earned second team All-OVC honors in track finishing her career ranked in the career top 10 for both the indoor 5K and the outdoor steeplechase. All accomplishments that still resonate with her today.
"Winning conference my senior season in cross country was my favorite memory as a student-athlete at EIU," said Napoleoni. "Spending just about every waking minute with the team for five years and to see how hard everyone works towards a common goal. When you get a result like a conference championship, you just can't beat that for a memory."
Just as she was slightly unsure what might lie ahead of her as a college athlete, Napoleoni was also unsure as to what her career path might be as a freshman. Fortunately her love of one led to her career in the other.
"In high school I was terrified of cameras and was extremely shy. At EIU I took Cameron Craig's weather and climate class my first semester and fell in love with the science," said Napoleoni. "Unfortunately EIU does not have a meteorology program but since I was in love with the cross country program, leaving EIU was not an option. Cameron helped make it work by putting me in the EIU Weather Center every day where I got experience doing a forecast each morning."
Craig continued to push Napoleoni towards this new found passion and was able to force her in front of the camera until forecasting the weather became second nature. She was able to juggle her commitments as both a student and an athlete picking up regular shifts at WEIU, the campus television station.
"The experience at WEIU was amazing. It was extremely difficult to juggle shifts at WEIU and track/cross country practice but everyone made it work," Napoleoni said. "The experience at WEIU is the only reason I was able to get a job right out of college."
Those time commitments learned as a student-athlete helped her decide what was most important in life and prepared her for those next steps.
"Being a student-athlete prepares you for life in some many ways, I couldn't even count. I learned that making sacrifices is always going to be necessary but I also learned to focus on what is really important," said Napoleoni. "As a student-athlete you have a support system of coaches and teammates that help guide you through and help you achieve goals. I was able to find success to do something I love for a living after college and I credit the track and cross country teams for keeping me focused on those goals."
While her competitive days of running have slowed down following graduation, Napoleoni has continued to run in road races and was able to sneak in one marathon along the way. It is her current job forecasting the weather that brings about the biggest opportunity for change every day.
"Although being recognized in public, when I'm not working, can be extremely embarrassing, horrifying or awkward; those moments are nice just to know that people actually watch what you do," said Napoleoni. "A couple of encounters have been rude but a majority of the time they are nice and it confirms to me that I'm making a change and having an impact on someone's day."
EIU: Class of 2012
Major: Geography & Mass Communications
Sports: Cross Country & Track
