Everything was going great for third-year Grant Musick as he finished up his sophomore year at the University of Tulsa, which has a top-ranked Division I cross-country program. The program was ranked 31st in the country at the end of the 2024 season, and was ranked as high as No. 9 in 2022. Musick had even set a personal record of 3:53 for the 1,500-meter during the track and field season.

Yet despite his personal and team success, Musick wanted to go somewhere more competitive academically. With his sights set on a new academic chapter, he began sending out transfer applications. Musick matriculated to UChicago through the traditional academic route, joining the University’s largest admitted transfer cohort in history, which numbered approximately 300 students. With his transfer, UChicago gained a driven student and a much-needed member for the cross-country program.

In previous years, the team has faced its fair share of heartbreak. In 2024, the team narrowly missed out on a bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. They were ranked No. 31 the year before that. However, their latest meet results may be a sign that the tide is finally turning.

The team started the season strong by taking first place at the Gil Dodds Invitational, with eight of the top nine finishes in only their second meet of the season, led by third-year Liam Eifert’s sub-25-minute finish. They didn’t stop there, winning the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on October 3, defeating 15 Division I teams and a handful of Division II teams en route. Going into week six of the season, the Maroons were ranked ninth in Division III and second in the Midwest region. They lived up to their ranking by finishing second overall at the UAA Championships this past Saturday at Washington University in St. Louis, their best conference showing since 2005.

When asked to compare his experience so far at UChicago to his experience at University of Tulsa, Musick emphasized the balance he has found here, both on and off the track.

“Coach Hall is a good coach who likes to keep things fun and doesn’t put any artificial pressure on us,” he said. “Unlike at Division I schools, most runners at the Division III level aren’t worried about getting a pro contract; they care more about their schoolwork.”

However, the absence of professional aspirations does not mean Division III training is any less intense. Musick proudly pointed out first-year Evan Parker, who has become a respected figure on the team for logging 100 miles a week. For context, Musick runs an impressive 70–75 miles per week, the second-highest mileage on the team.

In even the most academically inclined Division I schools, it is impossible to miss the presence of elite athletes. At University of California, Berkeley, for example, the fact that there are future professional athletes sitting in lecture halls rarely goes unnoticed, despite the school’s emphasis on academic excellence. On the other hand, the Division III student-athletes at UChicago often fade away behind the University’s prominent academic culture. It is possible to go an entire quarter without realizing you have shared a class with someone on the basketball team.

But on the track, at least, it appears that the lines between Divisions I and III are starting to blur. Division III runners are closing the gap one meet at a time, proving that talent and work ethic can drive athletes just as much as professional contracts can.