University of Georgia Athletics
Olree Improving Every Step Of The Way
November 13, 2025 | Cross Country, Track & Field, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Ryan Olree didn't start running cross country until his junior year at Denver South High School in Colorado. He was primarily a soccer player growing up, and though that sport requires plenty of running, it's nothing like cross country or doing the 5,000 or 10,000 meters in track. The decision to change sports was more of a whim, the Georgia junior said.
"My junior year, I was like, Hmmm, (soccer) isn't going anywhere, I think I'll try something else," Olree said.
Running led Olree to Georgia, where he's gotten better and better each year. And the results speak for themselves.
In his first SEC Cross Country Championships, back in 2023, Olree finished 85th overall. As a sophomore, he placed 31st. On Halloween last month, Olree continued to demonstrate how far he's come by crossing the finish line in ninth, just 26 seconds behind the winner on the 8K course in Knoxville, Tenn.
"I think a lot of it goes back to that day-in, day-out training and putting in the work," Olree said. "You're not going to have some random, crazy, good result out of nowhere. It's understanding that it's going to be a process, and it's going to be that day-in, day-out work that you're going to have to put in.
"If you're able to put in that work, you're going to see the results."
Over the past two seasons, Olree has been the Bulldogs' top scorer in every race. (In Georgia's season-opener this season, at the Covered Bridge Classic in Boone, N.C., he tied for first with teammates Conner Rutherford and Matias Reynaga). Georgia head cross country coach Adam Tribble described Olree as "fiercely competitive."
"He just wants to race," Tribble said. "I think he really wants to be the best that he can be. When it's time to go, he really wants to go, and he loves to push."
Told of his coach's description, Olree agreed with it.
"I love a good competition. I've never been one to back down," he said. "I grew up with four siblings, so, obviously, there was a lot of competition in the house. Everybody wants to be the best at anything we're doing."
While Olree knows how important the grind of training is, whether it's a 12-mile run early in the morning or speed work on the track in the afternoon, it's the racing that feeds his love of the sport.
"I think everybody loves racing; race days are fun. The races are where you get to showcase that you've put in the work," he said. "I do thoroughly enjoy the day-to-day things, because you can't get to race day without all of that hard work. ... Not every day is going to be enjoyable. It's a tough sport, but I think that's what I like about it. If you're tough, you're going to do really well. It gives back what you give to it."
This has been Georgia's best season in more than 20 years. Heading into last month's SEC Championships, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 20, their highest ranking in 22 years. After placing 11th in the meet in 2024, Georgia, now ranked No. 19, finished second with three runners among the top 16.
"I don't know that it was this feeling of ultimate satisfaction," Olree said of placing second at SECs. "I think there was a lot of excitement, for sure. I think it was kind of like, this is a big step."
Between adding talented runners like Will Aitken, Oliver Smart and Reynaga via the transfer portal, bringing in freshman Kristers Kudlis, as well as the continued development of third-year Bulldogs Olree and Rutherford, Georgia has a strong squad of six. On Friday, at the 10-kilometer NCAA South Regional in Huntsville, Ala., the Bulldogs will compete for a spot at the NCAA Championships later this month in Columbia, Mo., where the team won the NCAA Pre-National Invitational on Oct. 17.
Tribble said the talent on the roster is making all of them better because they're pushing one another each day. In some ways, he said, Olree may have benefited most of all from the increased competitiveness of each workout.
"There aren't a whole lot of times that we really push hard (in training), but we probably had three or four really, really difficult training days this fall, and he wasn't the strongest on all of those days. And I think that a year ago, I don't know if he could have stomached that. But he's done a really, really good job of realizing that one day is just a step in the process of becoming who you want to be — and you're going to have good and bad days along the way," Tribble said.
On the track last spring, Olree set the school record in the outdoor 10,000 meters with a time of 28:38.98. At the SEC Outdoor Championships, he placed ninth in the 5,000 meters with a season-best time of 13:57.74. Cross country or track, which does he prefer?
"The two of them are almost different sports," he said. "Yes, they're both running, but they're ultimately very different. Cross country is very much a team sport, so you're running with your guys. It's tough; it's 10K of grass, hills, sometimes pavement, concrete, dirt — doesn't matter what it is — and no course is the same as the previous one you ran. There's a lot of joy in that, and it's a lot of fun in that.
"I do love track, as well. A lot of times, it's just trying to be better than you've been before, because on the track, you can compare those things. Every track is essentially the same, so you can put times against times, and you're just trying to improve every step of the way."
Olree has improved every step of the way at Georgia, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Staff Writer
Ryan Olree didn't start running cross country until his junior year at Denver South High School in Colorado. He was primarily a soccer player growing up, and though that sport requires plenty of running, it's nothing like cross country or doing the 5,000 or 10,000 meters in track. The decision to change sports was more of a whim, the Georgia junior said.
"My junior year, I was like, Hmmm, (soccer) isn't going anywhere, I think I'll try something else," Olree said.
Running led Olree to Georgia, where he's gotten better and better each year. And the results speak for themselves.
In his first SEC Cross Country Championships, back in 2023, Olree finished 85th overall. As a sophomore, he placed 31st. On Halloween last month, Olree continued to demonstrate how far he's come by crossing the finish line in ninth, just 26 seconds behind the winner on the 8K course in Knoxville, Tenn.
"I think a lot of it goes back to that day-in, day-out training and putting in the work," Olree said. "You're not going to have some random, crazy, good result out of nowhere. It's understanding that it's going to be a process, and it's going to be that day-in, day-out work that you're going to have to put in.
"If you're able to put in that work, you're going to see the results."
Over the past two seasons, Olree has been the Bulldogs' top scorer in every race. (In Georgia's season-opener this season, at the Covered Bridge Classic in Boone, N.C., he tied for first with teammates Conner Rutherford and Matias Reynaga). Georgia head cross country coach Adam Tribble described Olree as "fiercely competitive."
"He just wants to race," Tribble said. "I think he really wants to be the best that he can be. When it's time to go, he really wants to go, and he loves to push."
Told of his coach's description, Olree agreed with it.
"I love a good competition. I've never been one to back down," he said. "I grew up with four siblings, so, obviously, there was a lot of competition in the house. Everybody wants to be the best at anything we're doing."
While Olree knows how important the grind of training is, whether it's a 12-mile run early in the morning or speed work on the track in the afternoon, it's the racing that feeds his love of the sport.
"I think everybody loves racing; race days are fun. The races are where you get to showcase that you've put in the work," he said. "I do thoroughly enjoy the day-to-day things, because you can't get to race day without all of that hard work. ... Not every day is going to be enjoyable. It's a tough sport, but I think that's what I like about it. If you're tough, you're going to do really well. It gives back what you give to it."
This has been Georgia's best season in more than 20 years. Heading into last month's SEC Championships, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 20, their highest ranking in 22 years. After placing 11th in the meet in 2024, Georgia, now ranked No. 19, finished second with three runners among the top 16.
"I don't know that it was this feeling of ultimate satisfaction," Olree said of placing second at SECs. "I think there was a lot of excitement, for sure. I think it was kind of like, this is a big step."
Between adding talented runners like Will Aitken, Oliver Smart and Reynaga via the transfer portal, bringing in freshman Kristers Kudlis, as well as the continued development of third-year Bulldogs Olree and Rutherford, Georgia has a strong squad of six. On Friday, at the 10-kilometer NCAA South Regional in Huntsville, Ala., the Bulldogs will compete for a spot at the NCAA Championships later this month in Columbia, Mo., where the team won the NCAA Pre-National Invitational on Oct. 17.
Tribble said the talent on the roster is making all of them better because they're pushing one another each day. In some ways, he said, Olree may have benefited most of all from the increased competitiveness of each workout.
"There aren't a whole lot of times that we really push hard (in training), but we probably had three or four really, really difficult training days this fall, and he wasn't the strongest on all of those days. And I think that a year ago, I don't know if he could have stomached that. But he's done a really, really good job of realizing that one day is just a step in the process of becoming who you want to be — and you're going to have good and bad days along the way," Tribble said.
On the track last spring, Olree set the school record in the outdoor 10,000 meters with a time of 28:38.98. At the SEC Outdoor Championships, he placed ninth in the 5,000 meters with a season-best time of 13:57.74. Cross country or track, which does he prefer?
"The two of them are almost different sports," he said. "Yes, they're both running, but they're ultimately very different. Cross country is very much a team sport, so you're running with your guys. It's tough; it's 10K of grass, hills, sometimes pavement, concrete, dirt — doesn't matter what it is — and no course is the same as the previous one you ran. There's a lot of joy in that, and it's a lot of fun in that.
"I do love track, as well. A lot of times, it's just trying to be better than you've been before, because on the track, you can compare those things. Every track is essentially the same, so you can put times against times, and you're just trying to improve every step of the way."
Olree has improved every step of the way at Georgia, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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