My Words: Home Away from Home

What is it about this place that made me want to travel nearly 10,000 miles one way to try and make a name for myself?

Why would I choose to leave my home in Melbourne, Australia, for a place I’d never heard of until I began to get serious about my distance running career?

In short, the Wisconsin track program is made up of great teachers, tremendous talents and amazing people.

It’s a brotherhood that draws from all walks of life, but especially from those who know first-hand the long journey from Australia to Madison.

Olli Hoare and Morgan McDonald, both from Sydney, were the first guys who put Wisconsin on the map for me. I didn’t know anything about UW until I saw their results in track and cross country. It caught my eye to see that Olli had won the NCAA outdoor title in the 1500 in 2018 and Morgan was the NCAA cross country champion later that year and the national champion in the 3000 and 5000 meters in 2019. All that started my conversations with Wisconsin coach Mick Byrne and his staff.

I wound up having a really good connection with Mick and Gavin Kennedy, who was the assistant coach recruiting me at the time before he took over at Loyola of Chicago. I had a Facetime with all the guys on the team and they all seemed really cool and I got along with them really well. 

I also called Olli, Morgan and Jackson Sharp, another fellow Aussie, and had multiple conversations with them about Madison and the atmosphere here. They not only had good results running, they had a really good time and made lots of friends and lifelong memories.

After those phone calls, I realized that this was the place for me. A brotherhood is a great way to describe it. I’m definitely close with Jackson, a redshirt senior who grew up about an hour from Sydney, because I’ve trained with him the last 2½ years. I wasn’t on the Wisconsin track or cross-country teams with Olli and Morgan, but whenever I see them these days, they’re always looking out for me. Like Mick always says, “Badgers look out for one another.’’

The three of us – Olli, Morgan and me – will take that sentiment to the next level later this month when we have the honor of competing for our country in the Summer Olympics in Paris. Olli and me will compete in the 1500 meters – it’s his second Olympic appearance in that event – while Morgan qualified for his second Olympics in the 5000 meters.

The races should have a cool UW flavor to them. While Olli and me run in our favorite event, Morgan will compete against Mohammed Ahmed, a four-time Olympian from Team Canada by way of Wisconsin who earned an Olympic silver medal in 2020 in Tokyo.

In all, there are 17 former Badgers competing in Paris and I’ll be rooting for each and every one. That includes Phoebe Bacon (women’s swimming, USA); Lauren Carlini (women’s volleyball, USA); Jaden Eikermann Gregorchuk (diving, Germany), Aleem Ford (men's basketball, Puerto Rico), Grace Joyce (women’s rowing, USA); Alev Kelter (women’s rugby, USA); Rose Lavelle (women’s soccer, USA); Lauren O’Connor (women’s rowing, USA); Dana Rettke, (women’s volleyball, USA); Taiko Torepe-Ormsby (men’s swimming), New Zealand); Maddie Wanamaker (women’s rowing, USA); Sophia Vitas (women’s rowing, USA); and Zach Ziemek, men’s track and field, USA).

I haven’t been to Paris before, but I’ve heard great things about it. There’s good food – I love croissants – good culture, good history and lots of art. It’s a place where, from July 26 to Aug. 11, the world will get a chance to see something amazing every day.

I’ve had quite a while to think about this opportunity. I qualified for the Olympics back in April, but nothing official was announced until last week. Now it’s a matter of me taking full advantage of this opportunity.

The race that I ran to win the Australian Athletics National meet felt very much like all the races that I’ve done in college. All the opportunities experience I’ve had here in college, it really helped me prepare for that race.

Some people might have been surprised, but I knew in my head that I was capable of winning. I was considered a dark horse – a bit of any underdog – but I knew I was capable of winning.

Yes, I believe that I was underestimated. I had everything to gain and nothing to lose. All the eyes were on some of the other guys. I don’t think my competitors were really looking at me for too much.

You look at the middle-distance events – the 1500 and the 5K – and there are six medals. Four of those medals either went to guys either went to Wisconsin or are currently at Wisconsin. There’s a lot to be said for that.

Everyone back home is talking about this Mick Byrne guy. They say, “He must be a pretty good coach if he’s getting four of the six medals.’’ People back home have come to realize that Wisconsin is a really good place to grow, to learn and to run your absolute best. Great coaches. Great system. The whole culture is what makes it happen. It feels like home.

And Mick is always a good laugh. We do train pretty hard, but at the same time, he can crack a joke and we’ll laugh. He’s good fun to be around. The combination of working hard but also having a good time doing it is what makes Mick a really good coach.

Before I return to Madison for another year of competition, I hope to give Mick another reason to smile.

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