“I’ve been competing in triathlons since 2013. Being active and outside have been two of the most important things in my day-to-day life. Coming out of high school in 2016, I spent the summer training about 20-plus hours a week for nationals. I was just working to get faster and back racing after a bike accident the year before. When I chose to attend Boston College, I didn’t expect to choose a school that did not have a triathlon club. Regardless, I knew I needed something that I could be part of a team, be outside, be competitive, and push myself out of my comfort zone. So, when my triathlon coach suggested I try rowing to keep myself busy, I gave it a shot. In the fall of 2016, I walked onto the Boston College Women's Rowing as a coxswain with absolutely zero experience. I was a little scared for what I had signed myself up for and shocked that I was actually willing to jump into something I really had no business doing at the time.
"To my surprise, all of this really came together this September when I missed the first week of my senior year to compete in the ITU Triathlon World Championship in Lausanne, Switzerland. Every day for five years, I had dreamed of competing on the world stage. Honestly, there is no feeling like standing on that starting line, knowing that my whole rowing team was supporting me endlessly. The competitive energy and grit I learned from them carried me through my 1.4 miles of swimming, 37.2 miles of biking and 9.3 miles of running between the two races that weekend.
"My amazing rowing coach, Grace Hollowell, always says that she needs us to, ‘work really, really hard and to be really, really kind’. Boston College Athletics really focuses on what an athlete can be as a person and not just what they can be as an athlete. For me, that’s made all the difference. My coaches have instilled in us the importance of holding each other accountable, challenging each other and pushing each other to be the best as individuals and as a team.” - Olivia Christmann '20
