Olin Hacker

OLIN’S STORY
Olin grew up in Madison, Wisc., not far from where he would eventually go to college at the University of Wisconsin. His father Tim was an individual NCAA cross country champion for the Badgers and part of two team titles as well (1982 and 1985). Olin showed his talent in high school when he finished second at both the Nike Cross Nationals and the Foot Locker National meet on successive weekends. At Wisconsin, he received an undergraduate degree in biology and a graduate degree in kinesiology.

PRO STATS
Olin joined HOKA NAZ Elite in the summer of 2022. His first race as a pro was the Fitness Bank Cross Champs in December where he helped lead the team to a second place finish. In his first effort on the track he ran 7:45.46 at the BU Terrier Classic in January, a personal best. Two weeks later, he set another PB when he ran 7:43.94 to finish 10th at the Millrose Games. He then finished his indoor season with a third place finish at the USATF Indoor Championships over 3,000 meters. His outdoor season really got going in June when he won the Festival of Miles in a PB of 3:56.59 and the Portland Track Festival 5,000 three nights later in a PB of 13:19.28. He finished seventh in the 5,000 at the USATF Outdoor Championships and then ran a PB of 13:09.94 one week later at the KBC Night of Athletics in Belgium. Less than a week after that, he ran 7:38.10 over 3,000 meters to finish second at the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern in Switzerland. His final race of the season was a 14th place finish at the World Road Running Championships at 5k.

Olin opened up his 2024 season with a new PB at 5,000 meters (13:08.76) indoors at the BU Terrier Classic. A month later he ran a fantastic race to finish second at the USATF Indoor Championships over 3,000 meters, earning a spot on Team USA at the World Indoor Championships. At Worlds, he ran valiantly over the final two laps…eventually finishing in fifth place. The spring saw him run well over both the mile and the 5,000 meters leading into the U.S. Olympic Trials where he ended up 10th place in the 5,000 meter final. His next race was a win over 3,000 meters at the Cork City Sports Meet in Ireland, followed up by a win over 1500 meters at the Guldensporenmeeting in Belgium in 3:36.43. He finished up his European season with a third-place finish over 3,000 meters at the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern in 7:39.19. 

NCAA STATS
Olin, born and raised in Madison, Wisc., stayed in town for college to run for his beloved Badgers. His loyalty paid off in the form of a senior year that included personal bests in the mile (3:56.66), the 3,000 meters (7:45.73), and the 5,000 meters (13:19.34), and culminated in a dramatic win in the latter event at the NCAA Championships. Hacker’s 54-second final lap secured his national title—a feat his father Tim accomplished for the Badgers back in 1985 when he won the National Cross Country Championship.