Tolu Oladele ’13 had never played an organized sport
before. In fact, when he first arrived at Haverford, he could
barely run a mile.
“I remember the first day I couldn't finish an alumni loop
and had to cut it short,” Oladele recalled.
But he kept trying.
“My normal running pace freshmen year got down to around
8:10 or 8:15 [minutes per mile]. Maybe 8:00 if I was having a
really good day.”
On Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Centennial Conference 2012 cross
country championship meet, Oladele ran on that same Alumni Course
(each loop covering one mile). He finished the five-mile course in
31:12 – a pace of 6:14 per mile.
“I’ve made tremendous improvements under [head
coach] Tom Donnelly’s guidance. I went from running 10 miles
per week as a freshman to running 80 miles per week now as a
senior. I’m in the best shape of my life and I’m
excited to show my improvement in the coming [indoor and outdoor]
track seasons. I’ve never felt more motivated to balance my
academics and athletics so well.”
The senior also credited former track captain Richard Dowlat
’11 for encouraging Oladele to stick with the sport. Dowlat
told him to start with some light running on the Alumni Loop
initially. Then, try a loop around the Nature Trail when he was
ready. Then, build his mileage. Before Oladele realized it, a
few days a week of easy running turned into a yearly commitment of
training.
“I had no clue what I was signing up for but it seemed fun
and it fed my hunger of being on a team.”
That team atmosphere has kept Oladele motivated over the last
few years. He feels that, most importantly, everyone on the team
wants to improve as much as possible – regardless of
talent.
“The greatest reward about running cross country and track
at Haverford is knowing that from our top guy to our bottom guy,
everyone has made the same commitment to put together the best
possible season for themselves and for the team.”
And it’s not only the running part of the equation. It can
come down to the little things as well.
“Tom has always preached and stressed that the only way we
can truly be focused and committed individually and as a team, is
if you have your academics in order. This meant everyone had to be
more efficient in how we managed our time for school to excel while
still making sure we got a good night’s
rest.”
This past summer, Oladele worked as a counselor at Serendipity
Day Camp at Haverford. He claimed it was a nice change from
previous summers since he was able to create a schedule conducive
for training well alongside of the job. And it was an
extremely fun experience for the senior.
“It not only enhanced my cross country training from the
previous summer but it allowed me to take a step back and relax to
refocus for my final year at Haverford.”
Oladele credited Serendipity to opening his interests in both
coaching and teaching after graduation.
Also, Oladele was part of a national championship chess team in
high school. Now, he is now entering the final weeks of the 2012
cross country season in which his current team hopes to win its
second national championship in school history.
SAAC is the College’s student-athlete advisory committee
which discusses issues that affect the well-being of
Haverford’s student-athletes on campus and within the
Centennial Conference and the NCAA. For more information, please
check out the SAAC
website.
– Jordan Schilit '13, Haverford SAAC
