Throughout the spring semester, we are honoring our senior student-athletes with a "Senior Salute" series. Today's featured senior is Andrew Armile, a biology major from Youngstown, Ohio. Armile is a member of the football team.

Q: Why did you choose to attend The College of Wooster?
A: I chose to attend the College because it allowed me to play college football, the campus felt like home, and there are many good STEM programs here.

Q: What does being a Fighting Scot student-athlete mean to you?
A: Being a Fighting Scot student-athlete is everything to me. I get to study hard in school and play hard on the field alongside great people.

Q: What are some of your favorite memories as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: Athletically, some of my favorite memories are getting my first interception against Kenyon College in 2021, getting my first sack in a comeback win against Wabash College in 2021, beating Wittenberg for the first time since 2008 in 2022, and becoming a team captain in 2023. Academically, I liked learning about cellular neuroscience and human physiology. Filling Kauke Arch with snow was always fun as well.

Q: What is the best part about being a student-athlete at The College of Wooster?
A: I get to play the sport I love with the great teammates and coaches who help me to become a great student, player, and person. 

Q: What else were you involved with on campus besides your sport?
A: I am a part of Wooster Christian Fellowship, a student Christian organization here on campus, am a health coach for the Wooster Community Hospital Community Care Network health coach program, and am a representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Q: Which College of Wooster faculty or staff member has made the greatest impact on you and why?
A: Dr. Seth Kelly has made the greatest impact on my life. He has always been a very positive person to talk to and is a great professor.

Q: What other people or resources impacted your Wooster experience in a positive way and how did these people and resources set you up to be successful at Wooster?
A: Coach Frank Colaprete has had one of the greatest impacts on my life as far as giving me the confidence to play at the Div. III level. Coach Zane Grove played a large role in my life later in my career at Wooster. Coach Grove always emphasizes doing the right things and that discipline and focus will get you where you want to be both athletically and in life. Julie and John Longacre run Wooster Christian Fellowship and have helped me grow in my faith and spread positivity to everyone I meet. Dr. Nick Brandley has always been a very relatable professor to talk to and helped me with advising and any issues I had.

Q: Tell us a bit about your Independent Study project?
A: I am investigating the molecular pathway for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in drosophila melanogaster. SMA is a neurodegenerative disease like ALS, where the motor neurons in your spinal cord stop working. The disease is caused by a mutation in the SMN gene. Essentially, I am running a behavioral study looking at how decreases in the SMN protein affect motor neurons and muscles by looking at the velocity and total distance moved by fly larvae.

Q: Tell us a bit about something cool you did as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: I had a great experience learning as part of the Health Coach Program and creating a relationship with my patient. I played wheelchair basketball with our SAAC against the Wooster High School team. I also enjoyed going to a Cleveland Cavaliers game with my friends sponsored by the Wooster Activities Crew. Working on my I.S. by researching and working in the lab with flies has also been a cool experience.

Q: Reflecting back on your time at Wooster, what advice would you give your first-year self?
A: Keep yourself on a good schedule, make connections, eat three times a day, work hard, and it will all pay off. Yes, school is important, but do not forget to hang out with friends.

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