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Ricordo Mckenzie, Olesson Cesalien Zoom to the Pitch

Track and Field stars join men's soccer squad, become two-sport athletes

When Olesson Cesalien caught wind of Chicago State's plan to add a men's soccer program, he rejoiced. Then, he picked up his phone.

"I got in contact with [head coach Trevor Banks] to see if I could join the team," Cesalien said. "He watched my highlights and did some background on me. He saw the talent I had and said that if I tried hard, I could have a spot on the team."

The senior indeed earned his roster position, joining the first men's soccer team at Chicago State in three decades.

"I really can't wait for the season right now," Cesalien said.

Cesalien is one of two Chicago State track and field stars pulling double duty this spring. Record-holding sprinter Ricordo Mckenzie, a graduate student, will also play soccer this spring.

Unlike Cesalien, who was a soccer standout at Evans High School in Orlando, Florida, Mckenzie has never been on an official soccer team.

"It's pretty wild," Mckenzie. "I never thought I would be able to play Division I soccer. Yet here I am. I'm really looking forward to it. And I'm not going to lie, I'll definitely be all nerves. But as soon as I get into games, I'll start exuding some confidence on the field. 

"Mentally, I'm ready. I'm a competitor."

Mckenzie hails from Montego Bay, Jamaica and played pick-up soccer "almost every day" as a youngster, but he competed only in track and cricket in high school.

"I have to get back to the basics and refresh my muscle memory," Mckenzie said. "Number one is controlling the ball and making something out of every touch."

In May 2019, both Cesalien and Mckenzie formed part of the 4x100-meter relay team that represented Chicago State at the NCAA Championships for the first time. Mckenzie also holds numerous Chicago State track records and won the 2019 Western Athletic Conference 200-meter dash title.

"It's a challenge I'm willing to take on," Mckenzie said. "The more occupied I am, the better. It keeps my brain active, being able to take the responsibility of both teams. But I need to take care of myself and my body."

Cesalien boasts a deeper soccer background than Mckenzie, which stems from his childhood in Saint-Marc, Haiti. He moved to Orlando for middle school, where he played soccer and subsequently set myriad school records as a track star. But before relocating to America, running track was a mere concept in Cesalien's mind.

"I didn't know anything about track," Cesalien said. "But I joined the team and became the fastest kid in the school."

Upon his arrival, Cesalien also knew no English. He's fluent now, thanks to an assist from the Disney Channel, which he used to watch religiously. Cesalien would flick the captions on to aid his English comprehension.

Now, he's entrenched in his senior year at Chicago State, raring to compete in two sports at once alongside Mckenzie.

Harnessing Cesalien and Mckenzie's breakneck speed, this millennium's first Chicago State men's soccer team will undoubtedly revel in quickness.

"With those two guys, it adds a lot of speed right away," Banks said. "You have a WAC champion and another guy who competed in a National Championship. These guys can move. My expectation is that we can utilize that."

The circumstances beg the question: Is Mckenzie, Chicago State's historically-dominant sprinter, the fastest college soccer player in the country?

"We'll have to see," Mckenzie said. "Olesson is pretty speedy."
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Players Mentioned

Ricordo McKenzie

#7 Ricordo McKenzie

F
Graduate Student
Olesson Cesalien

#8 Olesson Cesalien

F
Senior

Players Mentioned

Ricordo McKenzie

#7 Ricordo McKenzie

Graduate Student
F
Olesson Cesalien

#8 Olesson Cesalien

Senior
F