Many American collegiate athletes grew up with the culture that surrounds sports in the U.S. –– intense dedication and a desire to shine. But not every athlete has grown on that same understanding.
For Boston University cross country runners Vera Sjöberg and Ola Szulska, who are not from the U.S., their athletic journey started with integration and adjustment.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” Sjöberg, a junior, said about choosing to study in the U.S. “It’s very different in Sweden, because you don’t get the opportunity to do both college and running combined.”
Sjöberg is from Stockholm, Sweden, and grew up watching sports in an entirely different light.
“I feel like U.S. culture is more competitive,” Sjöberg said. “Everyone that I was running with really has big goals, and they work really hard, both in their career, academics, but also running.”
For Sjöberg, seeing her teammates balance school and a demanding athletic life has encouraged her to step into what it means to be an American college athlete.
“In Sweden, running is a very individual sport, and you’re told to focus on yourself,” she said. “That was a big change that I had to adapt to, being a part of a team and caring about a team.”
The international star credited her enduring love for the sport to her BU teammates and the culture they built together.
By overcoming challenges such as improving her English and feeling comfortable in a new environment, Sjöberg has seized every opportunity — and has quite literally run with them.
The Swedish native earned her bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 23, where she placed seventh overall in the NCAA Northeast Regionals. She also earned U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Northeast Region honors.
As both the Patriot League individual champion and the first Terrier to race in the national championships since 2021, Sjöberg has more than embraced the nuances of her new setting.
While Sjöberg was running in a national championship, Polish standout Szulska had the opportunity to compete internationally.
“For every athlete, representing their country is something special,” Szulska said. “A lot of athletes dream about it, and so going to Israel for [the] European Championships was just making my dreams come true.”
Before coming to BU, Szulska spent her first collegiate season with an American team at University at Buffalo in 2023. At the NCAA Northeast Regionals, she ran the Bulls’ fastest 6K time of the season with a time of 21 minutes, 7.6 seconds.
Similarly to Sjöberg, Szulska learned to adjust to the American collegiate atmosphere, which she said is more team-oriented than what she was used to at home.
“I love it here, because when I race, I don’t only race for myself,” Szulska said. “I feel like a piece of something bigger, and I feel like I matter more in terms of having a team.”
BU cross country head coach Jon Molz said he deliberately fosters a sense of community in his team, because he is aware of how different the American system may be to an international athlete.
Internationally, athletes belong to selective club-based systems, he said, in which they do not grow up playing sports with the same people as young U.S. athletes do.
“When [athletes] get here into our program, it’s very important for me to have a program with really great and strong relationships and team camaraderie,” Molz said.
As Sjöberg and Szulska continue to push the boundaries of collegiate running, they stand as a testament to the importance of dreams beyond borders.
Even though Molz arrived at BU as head coach only a few months ago, he emphasized the value both stars bring to the program.
“We have a team full of girls and guys from all over the world that have had different life experiences,” Molz said. “That presents unique challenges, but also unique opportunities to maybe show how much more we have in common with people than we might think at first glance.”
