For the past four years, Carolyn Dorf and her fellow sprinters on the Muhlenberg track and field team have used their speed to break school records, earn spots in the top 10 on the all-time performance list and score points at championship meets.

Recently, Dorf’s quickness accomplished something much more important.

On Friday, November 15, Dorf and her teammates were eating dinner in the Wood Dining Commons after practice. “Everyone was in their own conversations – it was all very normal,” she recalled.

That was until a teammate sitting diagonally from Dorf looked up at her. His eyes were red, and he had his hands crossed around his neck – the universal choking sign.

Dorf immediately jumped up, ran around the table, and gave a few abdominal thrusts. Her teammate spit out the food that was preventing him from breathing, and Dorf followed up with some pats on his back.

“He was totally fine. He actually finished his plate,” said Dorf. “I was a little shaken because I never had to do that before.

“It all happened in about 10 seconds. It was crazy. Afterwards everyone was like, wait, what just happened?”

Fellow senior Nicole Pisani was sitting to Dorf’s left but had her head turned when the whole thing started. “It really amazed me how quickly she got over there. I was sitting right next to Carolyn and when I looked she was already gone,” she said. “She jumped without any hesitation.”

Dorf has been a certified lifeguard since she was 15 and is trained in the use of the Heimlich Maneuver. It was ironic that she was called on to perform it not at a pool or beach, but while sitting down to dinner at school.

“I think I’m most proud that I was able to act accordingly,” said Dorf. “That was always my biggest fear, that when the time came I wouldn’t be able to stay cool, calm and collected – because I’m usually not.

“I was just doing what I was trained to do,” she added. “It’s nice to be recognized, but I felt like anyone would have done the same. I was just happy I could help him.”

Although Dorf remains modest about the incident, her teammates are having none of that. They were still buzzing about it the following day at Lehigh when they went to cheer the cross country team at the NCAA Mideast Regional.

“We all wanted to help but she was the one who took the initiative,” said Pisani. “Right after it happened, we were all like, Carolyn, you’re our hero!”