PROFILE: Skyler Mott ’25, Lehigh Men’s Track and Field

Skyler Mott ’25, looking to finish his collegiate career strong, kicked off his senior track and field season tied for first in the high jump in two events, reaching a mark of 1.91m at the Fast Times Before Finals at Lehigh’s Rauch Fieldhouse and 2.05m at the Penn Select hosted by the University of Pennsylvania. Following the latter event, Mott was ranked #40 on the 2025 NCAA DI Indoor Track and Field Performance List for the men’s high jump.

But as focused as he is on the track, Mott has become fully invested in his entrepreneurial pursuits with numerous projects, including Motts Gambit, a nonprofit chess foundation, and Mountain Movers Storage & Co., a storage company specifically designed for college students. He’s also CEO of Markit Athletics, a company that aims to improve track and field from the athlete and viewer perspectives through innovative products that help represent athletes' identities.

Major: Business management and cognitive science

And a concentration in AI (artificial intelligence)?

Within cognitive science there are different specializations. So my general specialization is within AI.

What's your dream job?

I don't think it's necessarily a title, it's the world of being a serial entrepreneur. So, being able to see problems and solve them and create solutions that help as many people as I can.

You're a pretty big chess player. How did you get started with that?

I started playing when I was in kindergarten, I believe around four years old. I started playing because I had a best friend—he went to school with me, was my next door neighbor and is probably still my best friend to this day. His parents had put him in chess and my dad said, ‘Why are they doing that? You should do it too.’ But very quickly, I got good and I started traveling the U.S., playing in competitive tournaments for majors from age five to 10 or 11. And then I took a little bit of a break and “retired” in middle school. When COVID hit, I started teaching chess lessons and started a nonprofit chess foundation called Motts Gambit, and that aligns with teaching cognitive skills to kids through chess. I run programs at Fountain Hill Elementary School, and I ran a program at Trumbauersville Elementary School. Basically everything I can do to get chess in the hands of as many people as possible. Two summers ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel overseas, to Europe, and play competitively in eight different countries. That was awesome—a great experience.

What are some of the countries that you traveled to and which was your favorite?

I originally traveled through Lehigh’s CSB (Computer Science and Business Honors Program) in Barcelona program. After that program was when I got to travel and play chess. I got to play in Italy, Paris and London. I was also in Hungary, Belgium and Austria. My favorite place to play chess was definitely Paris. I'm from New York and it's very similar to where they play a lot of chess in the streets, and these secret players, all they do is sit and play chess all day. They're some of the best players in the world, but no one ever knows of them because they stay playing in that same spot, in that same location.

You were ranked nationally at a young age.

I was a top 100-rated nine year old in the country. I was pretty good at that age, pre-retirement. I'd say I'm still pretty good, but that was probably the best I was compared to the rest of the world at that time because you really have to commit your whole life to it.

Was there a reason you took a break?

I'm doing track in college, but I was a big basketball player in high school and middle school, and played soccer as well. Other passions took over and I got into other things. Now I'm finding that passion again, which is nice.

You started a chess club at Lehigh?

They had an underground chess club. … There were people who would meet up and play chess but no one actually went to the Student Senate and said, ‘Let's actually make a club out of this. Let's establish that. Let's let the rest of the school know that we're playing and have more than just six people here.’

You helped get one organized?

I established the chess club. I've been acting as president for three years, [since it’s been] established. It will be passed down next year, though.

Many say "professional athlete" when asked about their dream job. Have you ever thought about chess grandmaster or growing your startup as a dream job? Although it sounds like once the startup is established, you like to move on to other projects.

I will say, as a preface, I have started and managed a few ventures in my time at Lehigh. I continue to run them, and I absolutely love every second of it. Would I be a professional athlete if the opportunity presented itself? Totally. However, I would not stop with my dream of entrepreneurship and creating for others. I think being a professional athlete would be a great way to build a brand and leverage that opportunity and be able to compete at the highest level. But at the end of the day, if I can use that brand to create value, I think that's the most important thing in the world.

When did you start track and field?

Some will say I really didn't start track and field until college, because I walked onto the team. In high school, basketball and soccer were my things. I would do track and field events for the points. The team would say, ‘Oh, come do this. We need some extra heads.’ But I had never really taken track and field seriously, specifically in the high jump, which is my main event, until college. During my freshman year, I tried out for the basketball team, I tried out for the soccer team and then finally, after those two, I said, ‘You know what, let's try track and field.’ And the meet went really, really well. I ended up being near the tops of the ranks on the team and the Patriot League. Every year, I've grown a lot, and I've gotten much better from the year prior.

What's the toughest thing about jumping?

I'd say the toughest thing about jumping and track and field as a whole is that it is an individual sport. As much as you have a team and you have what we consider a family around us, at the end of the day, it's you versus the rest of the people in competition. It's you versus your own head and what you have going on. There's no one else you can rely on. Once you're out there, you're going to have to show up, and everyone's watching you. So much of the game is mental.

What's one fun fact that people may not know about you?

I can solve a Rubik's Cube in 12 seconds.

That’s super impressive.

Thank you. That's what happens when you're in a competitive household and you have to fight to be the best.

Do you have a lot of siblings?

I have five. I have three brothers and two sisters. I'm the oldest boy, so the goal is to keep them humble and stay ahead of them as long as I possibly can.

What's the best thing about Lehigh as a university?

I do love Lehigh. My favorite thing about Lehigh is the entrepreneurial ecosystem that exists within Lehigh. Being able to take your interests and create a lifestyle out of it. I don't think most universities offer that. When I first came to Lehigh, I had no idea what entrepreneurship was and what that world of business was like. Very quickly I learned that if I could see a problem and I can think about how to solve it, I could make that solution a reality. And Lehigh has been so helpful in creating those ideas and establishing those things. Whether that's with Mountain Movers—one of the businesses I’ve been running—or that's with Motts Gambit, or even stuff I've been doing on the real estate side, that wouldn't be possible without Lehigh showing me that it was possible.

What's the best thing about the track and field program at Lehigh?

I love the coaches. I can't imagine doing track and field without my coaches by my side because they've been so helpful every step along the way. They gave me an opportunity when other teams wouldn't. I would not be where I am if they hadn't given me that shot and if they hadn't seen some sort of potential in me.