‘You only have four years, and those four years fly by’: Haley Oliver reflects on her collegiate athletic career with Rhode Island College

Tim Yean

Sports Editor

This article follows up on Anchor TV’s interview with Haley Oliver. Watch the full, recorded interview here.

Haley Oliver (right) on Anchor TV Interviews

Haley Oliver recalls the indoor mile as the first record she broke in her collegiate career.

Four years later, with multiple long-distance records, the fourth-year cross country and track athlete is just weeks away from walking the graduation stage at the Amica Mutual Pavilion and finishing her career with Rhode Island College.

“It’s certainly bittersweet,” Oliver said. “I’m already feeling that nostalgic feeling of ‘I’m going to miss track.’ I’ve loved the last four years here. I’ve loved competing, I’ve loved getting out there every weekend, cross country, indoor and outdoor.”

Oliver has constructed a one-of-a-kind career with the Anchorwomen. In indoor track, Oliver owns the program record for the 1,000m, 3,000m and mile. Outdoor, she claims the 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m. 

Most recently for the 1,500m outdoor record, she broke the program record, previously set by herself two years ago, at the Ocean State Cup with a time of 4:40.22. She repeated the feat with her 10,000m, notching a program-best time of 35:36.40 at the Jaylin Rainford Invitational on March 27, a time which currently ranks seventh in the nation at the Division III level.

In cross country, the Coventry native takes up half the top ten fastest times in runs over 5,000 meters, splitting the top times with Class of 1984’s Annmarie Gower (now Marino), who owns the top time ran on the cross country team even four decades after.

To go along with multiple top program times are two national championship appearances, her junior year qualification being the first for an Anchorwoman since Class of 1987’s Sharon Hall (now Galloway). Oliver says compared to a regional meet, national competition features scores of female runners, the best of the best in D-III.

“You’re going against 300-and-something women on one starting line,” Oliver elaborated. “It’s just faster. These girls are legit. When we go out that first mile it’s blazing and it’s fast. It’s certainly something you have to get used to.”

Haley Oliver (photo provided by Oliver)

Oliver got her start running at Coventry High School with their track team, primarily as a hurdler and sprinter. She eventually made a transition and full commitment to distance running, seeing it as more enjoyable and Oliver producing better results in those events. Despite those improvements, Oliver actually quit and remained out of the team her sophomore and junior year.

“Honestly, I did not like running,” Oliver said in the interview. “I said, ‘this is not for me,’ and my dad actually got me back into it, and I thank him all the time for doing that because I’ve loved the last five years, six years competing.”

After a senior-year comeback in which she rekindled her love for running, Oliver received a few offers from various colleges, but decided after graduating from Coventry High School that the now-Oaker alum would stay in-state and compete with the Anchorwomen. A connection between her coach at Coventry and the head coach for Rhode Island College, Timothy Rudd, established the groundwork. Late in the process, after graduation, Oliver applied, got in, and officially committed to the college.

“I was very late to the enrollment process,” Oliver told Anchor TV Interviews. “But I ended up getting in [to RIC], and of course it’s been an amazing four years.”

Through the four years that Oliver has been on campus a good amount has changed for the program. From the construction of a new track and field complex to the immense growth of the overall roster to allow for more competition in meets as a team rather than individually, it’s all been positive for the senior.

“It’s also a really talented team, and a young team,” Oliver added. “We’ve got a lot of freshmen and sophomores, and they’re such hard workers, they’re amazing, it’s been a really great dynamic change from my freshman year to now.”

Through the actual meets, practices and outside-team meetups, Oliver has cherished the relationships and bonds she’s built over the years with her teammates, citing those connections as the biggest memories she’ll take away from running. 

“I can tell that they’re going to be lifelong friendships,” Oliver said. “I think that’s the best part of it.”

Before she walks the stage, Oliver gave one final message to the team in the interview as she prepares to close out her career.

“You only have four years, and those four years fly by. You don’t want to leave with any regrets. Give it all you got, every meet, every race, till the last meter.”