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When Ignatius Fitzgerald ‘26 arrived at St. Olaf College, he wasn’t just looking for a place to run — he was searching for the right team. 

Coming out of high school as the Montana state champion in the 800-meter run and 1,600-meter run, Fitzgerald began his collegiate career at the University of Oregon on an athletic scholarship for cross country and track. But after a year and a half, he realized the program wasn’t the right fit for him. 

“I didn’t love Eugene,” Fitzgerald says. “I wasn’t as into the academics, and I didn’t really fit in there super well. It just wasn’t the place for me.”

So he moved back home to Missoula, took classes part-time at the University of Montana, and took a step back from running to consider his next steps. During that year of reflection, a high school friend, Ian Curtis ’24, encouraged Fitzgerald to visit him at St. Olaf. He came for a long weekend, staying in campus housing, attending classes, and tagging along for cross county practice. 

Something clicked. 

“Right when I got on campus and met the team, I was like, this feels like a much better fit,” Fitzgerald says. 

Now a history and quantitative economics major and one of the top ranked steeplechasers in Division III, Fitzgerald has found not just success on the track, but a holistic rhythm that suits him. 

“My relationship with running has shifted,” he says. “It’s something I do, but not the only thing I do — and I really enjoy that. The way our team is structured really supports that kind of balance, there’s a system in place — go to practice, go to dinner, go to the library.”

He credits much of that balance to the environment cultivated by Head Men’s Track and Field and Cross Country Coach Brian Power.

“Coach Power has been a really positive influence on me,” Fitzgerald says. “He’s helped me learn how to be competitive, but also not to take myself too seriously. It’s about having fun and focusing on the team.”

Power, in turn, recognized early on that Fitzgerald was not just a strong runner, but a thoughtful and mature presence.

“It was apparent [Fitzgerald] wanted to find somewhere that allowed him to grow as a person and connect with the community, while being given the space to grow as a runner,” Power says. “I really feel like Iggy has found his home at St. Olaf. He’s connected across campus in many ways, and he’s a frequent fixture at St. Olaf sporting events. He’ll be a Track & Field team captain this year due to his ability to connect with athletes across different event groups and the respect he has earned from his teammates.”

Fitzgerald’s not only active on the field — he’s involved with several different organizations and activities at St. Olaf. He leads trips with the outdoor recreation program (STORP), and works at the rock climbing gym, where he also TA’s for the college’s rock climbing course. This summer he will be in Turkey, assisting Professor of History Tim Howe with an archeological dig of a first-century Roman city. 

As for what he does in his limited downtime, Fitzgerald says he spends the majority of it with his teammates. 

“Forty of my best friends are on this team, which makes it really easy and fun,” he says. “You want to go to practice when you know everyone there is really wanting you to do your best in every way, and knows who you are as an individual — not just who you are on the field. It just works.” 

That team culture also fuels the Oles’ competitive success. This past fall, the St Olaf men’s cross country team won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference [MIAC] Championship on their home course. 

“Cross country scores like golf — you want the fewest points possible — and we scored with the lowest point count that has ever been recorded in a MIAC meet,” he says. “It was such a blast.”

Turning to Fitzgerald’s personal achievements, he placed ninth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships to earn Second Team All-America honors, set a program record (8:52.30), and ran the eighth-fastest steeplechase time in the nation this past year. 

But he’s quick to deflect the hype.

“We don’t treat running like a business here,” he says. “At the end of the day, if you race well or poorly, no one really cares about your time. It’s all about what you are getting out of it. That kind of environment makes all the difference.”

Looking ahead, Fitzgerald plans to pursue a master’s in education and become a high school history teacher, ideally back in Montana. But for now, he’s soaking up all St. Olaf has to offer. 

“When I think about being an Ole, I think about the closeness of this community,” he says. “Even though people are here for different reasons, whether that be music, athletics, or academics, we’re all on the Hill together. That creates something really special.”