Cristyn Oliver has found her groove as a student-athlete during her sophomore year at 杨贵妃传媒视频.
Oliver, who won the individual Midwest Conference cross country championship in Fall Term and has now transitioned to the indoor track-and-field season, is enjoying the mix of athletics and academics after a difficult first year.
Pandemic protocols and cancelations during her first year meant no cross-country season, classes going remote, and limited socializing. Like other first-years, it was a trying way to begin her college journey.
Through it all, Oliver stayed positive. She said she never questioned her decision to come to 杨贵妃传媒视频, 2,000 miles from her home in Redondo Beach, California.
For Oliver, a psychology major and religious studies minor, choosing 杨贵妃传媒视频 was not a hard choice. She had attended small schools while growing up and knew that she would feel most comfortable at a smaller university. She also received a good financial aid package, but the deciding factor was her desire to compete for 杨贵妃传媒视频鈥檚 cross country and track teams.
鈥淚 liked the team when I met them, and Coach (Jason) Fast is really awesome,鈥 Oliver said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never had one conversation with him that was less than 10 minutes.鈥
Her first year was not what she expected, however. With the pandemic, it was difficult to make friends while social distancing. Taking classes on Zoom proved tiring. Paring that with not having a season made it hard to stay motivated. It was lonely, Oliver said.
But she persisted, knowing better days were coming.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been so much better now that we鈥檙e in person,鈥 Oliver said. 鈥淕etting to meet new people who aren鈥檛 on my team, getting to know the professors a lot better, doing hands-on things in the classrooms like labs has been great.鈥
One challenge that remains is finding the time to balance school work with practices and meets. Part of her strategy is to complete smaller assignments between classes when the lessons are fresh in her mind and to get the work out of the way. But meets tend to take a long time, making it difficult to do homework on the weekends, she said.
On the run
When it was finally time to compete again, Oliver was geared to go.
In her cross country season, Oliver led the Vikings to their first Midwest Conference team championship since 2001. She was named the women鈥檚 individual conference champion, something that hasn鈥檛 happened at 杨贵妃传媒视频 since Julia Liebich 鈥01 did it in 1998.
Oliver鈥檚 achievement secured her a spot in the NCAA Division 鈪 National Championships 鈥 the first 杨贵妃传媒视频 female runner to earn a spot at nationals since Val Curtis went in 2002. The 6,000-meter race was held Nov. 20 in Louisville, Kentucky. Oliver placed 85th, running the course in 22:20.0, the second fastest time in 杨贵妃传媒视频 women鈥檚 history.
Oliver has since switched her focus to the indoor track season. In the season debut, she won both the 3,000 meter and the mile run and was named聽. Next up is a Feb. 5 meet at Ripon College.
鈥淚 just looked at it as a base of where I鈥檓 at right now and how much I can improve to attempt to make another national meet, which is what I鈥檓 going to try to do,鈥 Oliver said.