University of Massachusets Athletics
Clearing Hurdles: Corey Sanders Reflects on Family’s Legacy and Resilience
February 27, 2025 | Men's Track & Field
Clearing Hurdles: Corey Sanders Reflects on Family’s Legacy and Resilience
By: Adam Greene
AMHERST, Mass. — Sports have always been a staple in the Sanders family, with deep roots in baseball, football, basketball, track and volleyball. Freshman Corey Sanders is in his rookie season with the UMass Track and Field program and took inspiration from his older sister.
“My sister came here ten years ago, so when I was little watching her run track, it always inspired me,” Corey remembered. “I would set up my blocks and try to hurdle over them just like she would hurdle.”
Corey and his family hold athletic excellence in high regard, and that’s reflected in his core values. “[Coach Jackson] has pushed me, keeping me accountable and making sure that I'm doing the best that I can,” Corey said. “He’s helped me mentally stay on top of myself and believed in me from early on.”
“My sister came here ten years ago, so when I was little watching her run track, it always inspired me... I would set up my blocks and try to hurdle over them just like she would hurdle.”Corey Sanders
Just as athletic excellence is important to the Sanders family, so is Black excellence. During February, as we recognize Black History Month, Corey has an opportunity to reflect on his personal journey and the UMass Athletics community as a whole. “Black History Month means looking back on all these milestones in our history and learning new parts about the community and culture—opening our minds to different information that’s out there.”
“This is about Black excellence,” Corey added. “Being able to look into the different history we have and seeing how strong we can be together, working together to help our community.”Corey Sanders
“This is about Black excellence,” Corey added. “Being able to look into the different history we have and seeing how strong we can be together, working together to help our community.”
Despite his motivated mindset, Corey holds the stories of his family's past close to his heart. His great grandmother Oneatha Cleveland grew up in the Carolinas during a time of segregation and intense racism. Due to the KKK’s presence across the region, Oneatha and her husband had to relocate to New York.
“Learning about that story, hearing it from family members, allowed me to understand my family's background and the hardships my great grandmother went through,” Corey shared.
The toll that experience took on his family is immeasurable. Corey explained how he’s able to “understand the struggles we had to go through, how you can go through a time where you’re pushed out of your home by people who don’t want you there.” However, Corey still sees his great grandmother as a symbol of triumph.
“She marched with Martin Luther King Jr., ...Seeing how you can create change when you stand up for your rights and what you believe in, I feel like that’s a very triumphant ending.”Corey Sanders
“She marched with Martin Luther King Jr.,” Corey shared. “Seeing how you can create change when you stand up for your rights and what you believe in, I feel like that’s a very triumphant ending.”
Corey is quick to emphasize how these events are much more recent than they may seem. “I’d hear from my dad about how she marched with Martin Luther King, but that helped me understand that we aren't that far removed from this,” Corey noted. The extremes of racial inequality may seem like a distant past, but Corey doesn’t see it that way.
“We learn about these things in school and think, ‘Oh, those times were so far away,’ but we’re only two or three generations removed from those hardships. We can see how their decisions changed the lifestyle we’re able to live today.”
The inequities Oneatha faced, some of which are still present in the world today, are reasons why Corey works so hard to be the best student-athlete he can be. The opportunity to compete with the best collegiate athletes isn’t something he takes for granted. He spoke about how he’s always pushing to be the best version of himself. To him, the best way to honor his family’s past is to use his voice to effect positive change.
“We learn about these things in school and think, ‘Oh, those times were so far away,’ but we’re only two or three generations removed from those hardships. We can see how their decisions changed the lifestyle we’re able to live today.”Corey Sanders
He contrasted the hurdles he watched his sister practice on—the very reason he was inspired to run track—to the hurdles his family faced. “Dealing with those hardships of racial inequality back then, I would consider those hurdles,” Corey said. “Our community had to hurdle those obstacles to be able to get to where we are now.”
Corey turned his attention back to UMass and the importance of celebrating Black History Month. “My sister always spoke highly of UMass. When I was looking at colleges, I was really interested in UMass,” Corey recalled. Once he met the coaching staff, the team, and saw the inclusive environment, he knew it was the right choice for him.
“Dealing with those hardships of racial inequality back then, I would consider those hurdles... Our community had to hurdle those obstacles to be able to get to where we are now.”Corey Sanders
“[The culture] made me really want to come here, and I believe in the strengths that UMass has.”
He expressed his appreciation for how welcoming the campus community has been. Whether through the UMass Black Student Union or the UMass Student-Athlete Union, Corey has seen everyone come together, especially this month. “It's a very big community. It feels like a family.”
The inclusivity and willingness to listen and learn about new perspectives have left a lasting impact on him. Just as his great grandmother did, Corey asserts that we must continue standing up for what we believe in. “We can't become complacent. We have to keep pushing, just as the people before us did.”
