By age 16, Australian runner Ollie Boltz knew he wanted to come to the United States for college. Like many international student athletes, he was eager to pursue his sport in a place with so much opportunity and an established community. Boltz has already made an impact on his time here, and his running career is far from over.

The junior distance runner fondly recalls his journey starting out in the sport. He began running around age 10 and found inspiration from his parents who had been pro runners, and both competed in the Olympics in their respective careers. They always kept running fun for Boltz, and when he started showing promise and decided to give the sport a real shot, they were happy to share their wisdom. After receiving a good offer from Iona University, Boltz made the trip overseas to continue his running career.

Going from training solo to running with a team of 30 guys was a big adjustment. Along with more motivation, there was pressure to perform well.

However, Boltz loves the close nature of the team—remarking that they are like family. This ties into his core motivation, as Boltz explains, “That’s really why I do it, just to show them how much it means. Like, all the support they show, I want to show that back.”

The Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field Team put in the miles and hard work on the daily. And these consistent efforts have been paying off, as the Men’s Cross Country Team recently won their 35th consecutive MAAC Championship and accomplished their goal this past season of making Nationals. On an individual level, Boltz has hoped to perform well in the 5k and 10k this season.

Assistant Coach Vann Moffett described Boltz as a laid-back and well-liked individual and emphasized how he “works extremely hard and is always reliable when he competes.” Boltz has big dreams in the future for his running career—and big boots to fill with Olympian parents.

The lofty goals come to fruition through the daily grind, something Boltz and his teammates know well as they run off from campus or load into the van each day—ready to push themselves and one another.

But this is the joy of the sport: getting to see the progression from season to season, year to year. And to do it all in good company continues to motivate Boltz each day, whether it be the banter or simply pushing through the pain together. Although far from home, Boltz is taking big strides in his career, and surely the kids back home in his mom’s running group are inspired by the story he is writing.