After graduating from Columbia University in New York City, cross-country runner Aubrey Myjer wanted a transition from Ivy League competition.
The California native’s desire to relocate to North Carolina was largely sparked by both the pursuit of an education in textiles and the continuation of an old friendship.
“I’m in the Masters of Science in Textiles program,” the Columbia alumna said. “My decision to come here dates back a little further. Sam Parsons and I met at a race in high school our senior year at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon … We met at the airport and I started hanging out with all of the guys from the Southeast. We just really kicked off that weekend, 48 hours of just [hanging out with] Sam.”
After reuniting again at last year’s Wisconsin Invitational, the idea of becoming teammates was truly cultivated.
“A year ago was the Wisconsin invite, Sam and I hadn’t seen each other in four years since Nike Cross Nationals,” Myjer said. “On the starting line, [he did] this little dance that we did that weekend four years ago and we had a big hug … In the final 400 meters of the race, he and I [were] side by side … After that, I was like ‘man it would be awesome to be teammates with Sam.’”
Though Myjer now has a decorated cross country resume that includes All Ivy League honors, his journey in the sport and route to NC State is a unique one.
“I started cross-country in middle school,” Myjer said. “But my main sport in high school and middle school was lacrosse …I ran cross-country freshman and sophomore year to be with my [big] brother. My sophomore year, we won the California state meet. Being on the podium with [my brother] was an awesome thing.”
His junior season, Myjer decided to take a break from the cross-country course and test out water polo. It wasn’t until the following fall that Myjer truly committed to the sport of cross-country.
“Senior year, I sort of realized I didn’t want to play lacrosse in college after all,” Myjer said. “I took a couple of visits to schools and wasn’t so sure my personality really meshed well with the lacrosse LAX bro. I ran senior year and it ended up working out. [I] went to Columbia.”
The transition to collegiate running proved difficult but rewarding for Myjer.
“I had a good experience there for sure in Ivy League,” Myjer said. “Going from somebody who thought of himself as a lacrosse player to a full-time runner was something in and of itself. Then, transitioning from suburban California to Manhattan was also a pretty big adjustment. Ivy League competition is not as quite as deep as the ACC, but there’s definitely still that top caliber.”
Despite a strong friendship with redshirt junior Sam Parsons, Myjer eyed a few other institutions before committing to the Wolfpack.
“I was looking at a couple of other schools,” Myjer said. “Being from California and having a little sister, I wanted to go back home and be near her … I thought about some schools in the Bay Area, but then I also wanted to get into design and textiles, so I thought about some other schools that had a strong program … It turns out that NC State had what I wanted from a running perspective and also the academics I was looking for. Really, it couldn’t have been a better situation.”
Now that he has settled into the Wolfpack community, Myjer’s favorite part of the program is the team culture.
“One thing that I’ve appreciated is a general relaxed vibe,” Myjer said. “We are there to compete and get things done, but we really have fun doing it and that takes a load off. Getting on the line, looking around and seeing these guys smile is incredible. We say ‘we worked too hard not to enjoy this. We worked too hard not to have fun on race day’ and that’s been a big thing for me. I can get pretty nervous on race day, so being surrounded by a group of guys who are 100 percent supportive of you and are just enjoying the process and just enjoying competing has been awesome for me.”
NC State cross-country coach Rollie Geiger is excited with the contributions Myjer brings to the program.
“He was at Columbia for four years, so he’s a good student,” Geiger said. “He brings to the plate, for our cross-country program, experience. When you have someone coming in as a transfer and has four years of experience, it’s a real plus for the program. He’s certainly one of the leaders on the team. He’s been the entire package for us.”
Myjer has already proved to be a valuable asset to the Pack. Finishing 10th at the NCAA Division 1 Southeast Region Cross-Country meet on Friday, Myjer helped propel the team to a first place finish and an automatic NCAA national bid.
With so much experience under his belt and positive team chemistry, Myjer is sure to have great individual and team success as the Pack looks toward NCAA Championships.
