On Friday, Nov. 12, Winthrop senior Olivia Esselman competed in the NCAA Division I Southeast Region Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. As the only female representing Winthrop, Esselman finished in 144th place with a time of 23:05.4 for the 6-kilometer race.
“It’s been a dream of mine for a long time to compete at the course at Louisville because I have a lot of family in the area that I visit frequently. Getting to run my last college race there with my family cheering me on was such a blessing,” Esselman said.
This was the second time in Esselman’s collegiate running career she has traveled to compete in the NCAA Division I Southeast Region Cross Country Championships. Her first trip was as a sophomore in the fall of 2019.
“It’s both inspiring and humbling to be racing alongside that many fast people,” Esselman said. “That being said, I wasn’t terribly concerned about my placement for this race; I was content just being there, letting the pack pull me along for a great race.”
Two weeks prior to the NCAA Championship, Esselman ran her personal best for a 5-kilometer race with a time of 18:57.5 at the Big South Cross Country Championships in Kernersville, North Carolina.
“It was exhausting,” Esselman said. “It can be so easy to be affected both mentally and physically by your surroundings, and to do your best in a race can take so much focus. I was putting a lot into that race and it felt great to get a satisfying result from that effort.”
Unlike many athletes who began playing their chosen sport before even elementary school, Esselman did not start racing competitively until she was further along in school.
“Growing up, I always competed on the swim team, primarily because my older siblings did, and it was the sport my family had always done … but it was intense and was stressing me out,” Esselman said. “On a whim, I decided to try out track instead that spring, and I absolutely loved it.”
Esselman likes to stick to a consistent warm–up routine before each race as a distraction to help keep her nerves at bay.
“I like to have a lucky pair of socks that I wear on race day, but my socks get holes in them pretty fast, so I tend to cycle through like three lucky pairs of socks,” Esselman said.
Although “it’s a little cliché,” Esselman has always been inspired by Eric Liddell from “Chariots of Fire.”
“In a sport like this, it can be really easy to get caught up in performance, perfection, doing things in exactly the right way,” Esselman said. “I love that, even as a world–class athlete, he always seemed motivated by a love of running, rather than a need to win or be the best.”
“Having a team is a really special thing, and it’s easy to take something like that for granted. They make the difficult experiences more bearable and the good moments more worthwhile,” Esselman said.
“Also, I really enjoy all of the complimentary gear. Getting new stuff at the beginning of each season is like a mini Christmas.”
Outside of athletics, Esselman enjoys being a member of campus ministry Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), as well as being a photographer for The Johnsonian.
Studying mass communication, Esselman is thankful she has been able to attend in-person classes, campus events and, of course, have a normal cross country season.
“During my time as an athlete, I’ve learned to be more grateful for the days where you have great workouts, awesome races, and beautiful weather, but also to not take the disappointments too seriously,” Esselman said.
“Competing at this level is such a privilege, and while it’s realistic to be upset by failures, I’ve learned more to be heartened by them because it means there’s something to keep working towards.”
