Sprinting Toward Success, On and Off the Track
by Tony Moore
For Erin Olsavsky ’26, sprinting wasn’t always part of the plan.
“Growing up, I was always involved with sports and ran in a few cross country and track meets, but I never stuck with it,” says the educational studies and Italian studies major, an avid volleyball and basketball player at the time. It wasn’t until high school, when she was searching for a spring sport to balance her athletic schedule, that track found her. A recommendation from her gym teacher led her to the team—and eventually to a passion that would carry her to the collegiate level.
“I started running track my sophomore year of high school,” she says. “Sprinting was always what I was best at, and as I kept running and competing, I fell in love with the sport and the people it attracts.”
That love for the sport has propelled Olsavsky to impressive heights at Dickinson, and this year’s indoor conference meet stands out as a defining moment of her career. She placed third in the 60-meter dash and second in the 200-meter dash, won the 4x200 relay with her teammates, set personal bests in the 60 and 200 meters and set a school record in the 200.
“I came into the season wanting to have success not only as part of a team but for myself as well,” she says. “Having run times worthy of a medal in the 60 meters and 200 meters, as well as being able to succeed with my teammates in a relay, was a level of achievement that I have been striving toward for a long time, and it was a validating experience.”
And that level of achievement extends even further. Olsavsky’s stellar performances made her an all-region selection for the 200. She also made first-team allconference after winning the 4x200 relay and second team for the 200, with her time of 25.85 seconds earning second place at the Centennial Conference championships. Olsavsky also collected an all-conference honorable mention for the 60 meters, claiming third at the CC championships with a personal-best time of 7.93.
Academically, the sprinter found a perfect fit at Dickinson as well, drawn to the college’s strong study-abroad programs and the flexibility to pursue athletics alongside her academic interests.
“I wanted to have the option to study abroad and still be a full participant in athletics,” says Olsavsky, who studied abroad in Bologna, Italy, for the 2023-24 academic year. “Dickinson stood out as a school with fantastic study-abroad options and an athletics department that was accepting of athletes who wanted to study abroad.”
Beyond the classroom and the track, it’s the people who have made Dickinson feel like home and helped Olsavsky find her stride.
“The small class sizes create meaningful connections with professors, which has provided me personally with expanded study-abroad options and internship opportunities,” she says. “Even beyond academics, it’s nice to be on a campus where staff can greet you by name and know you as more than just a student or classmate. It creates a caring environment that I have come to love more than anything at Dickinson.”
Read more from the spring 2025 issue of Dickinson Magazine.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published June 10, 2025