Bolles senior Ally Hajda has been an instrumental part of the Bulldog's program winning four team titles in cross country and two team trophies on the track. Hajda picked Brown University over Washington University in St. Louis, Columbia, and Brown. We talked to her about the decision, the NXN Southeast Regional coming up this weekend, and much more.
What was the recruiting process like for you?
It was really fun visiting different schools. It was so hard because it seemed like I loved every single school that I visited so it was difficult to cut down my list at first.
How is it different when it comes to the Ivy League schools?
With the Ivy League, everyone, along with the coaches, place a huge emphasis on academics and remind us that we are going to college for an academic education, and not just our sport. The Ivies have such a long history. Brown was founded even before the United States! I am really looking forward to competing with the other Ivies (and seeing my FL girls like Kayley Delay).
Where all did you visit consider?
I visited Washington University in St. Louis, Columbia, and Brown.
What was it about Brown that sold you on the school? How much did both athletics and academics and being the complete student athlete play a factor?
I loved the environment and way I felt when I was there. Everyone was so incredibly nice and helpful to one another. Especially for an Ivy League, it seemed like a super collaborative and not a cut-throat environment. At the same time, it is a very academically rigorous school, which was very important to me when considering colleges. What clinched it for me was the amazing team and coach, Mitchell Baker. The team was so welcoming and it seemed like a family. And the beautiful trails in Providence are great places for running!
You're XC season is still going with NXNSE up next. The team was third last year. What are the goals for this weekend?
We all love this cross country course in Cary and are super excited to run and hopefully get some PR's! We hope to just to leave it all out there on the course, especially for the seniors who will be running our last high school cross country race, and to have fun as a team!
At Bolles, you were a part of four cross country state title teams and two track championship teams. How would you sum up your time as a Bulldog?
Running at Bolles has been the best 6 years of my life. The team is like a family to me and the coaches are the most supportive, devoted people ever. I will definitely miss all of them a lot in college! I am so proud of this team, not just in our victories, but also in our dedication for running for one another. I am so grateful to have been a part of such an amazing team and will never forget the impact they made on my life.
What are you looking forward to most about the college experience?
I am looking forward to being able to explore new fields of study and also running as a part of the Ivy League Conference alongside a great team and some awesome other recruits. I am also looking forward to the change of seasons and lots of snow!
- 800m - 2:18.39
- 1600m - 5:06.60
- 1 Mile (in) - 5:18.54
- 3200m - 11:01.09
- 5K (xc) - 18:31.94
