Copey Rollins ’26 is a four-year Senior from Sharon, Connecticut who grew up in New York City, where he began running as a club sport in fifth grade. Next year, Rollins will continue his athletic career at Wesleyan University, where he will run all three seasons.
Running was initially more casual than competitive for Rollins. That changed in 8th grade when he started taking cross country seriously and changed again when he arrived at the school. He said, “When I got here and did indoor track with Coach Nate Seidenberg my Prep year, that was when I realized I had potential. Then I just got into it.”
A key part of that discovery for Rollins was the people around him. During his Prep year, Chase Dobson ’23 took Rollins under his wing. “Back then I thought Dobson was insanely fast,” said Rollins. “He was beating everyone by like a minute. I thought his times were unreachable, but then I reached them.”
The following year, co-captain Axel Nzi ’24 helped Rollins find his footing in the 4×400 relay. Rollins said, “Upperclass runners really taught me a lot about the sport.”
As a distance runner, Rollins’ primary events are the 800 m and the 1500 m. Most distance runners only run long distances, but Rollins has also been a member of the 4×400 relay team since his Prep year. This spring, when Rollins ran the 4×400 for his last time, he used a baton that was signed by every member of the team, which they gave to retiring Coach Richard “DK” Kirby. Rollins says, “The baton was really special; it said “For DK” on it. The race was scary, because I didn’t want to mess up his last time.”
Not every part of his running career has been easy. Rollins suffered a significant injury the summer before his Upper Mid year and was injured again this past winter. Rollins said, “In Junior year during cross country, I ran badly. Track competitions didn’t go great either. I was running slower than I was in my Prep and Lower Mid years. That made running hard to stick with.”
Supported by his teammates, Rollins persevered. He said, “I feel like everyone cares, and everyone really wants to succeed. I’ve had good mentors—the captains my Prep and Lower Mid year and the people I was on the 4×4 with last year. They made track fun and helped me stick with it through some of the rough years.”
His roommate and longtime training partner Bastien Sever ’26 has run alongside him the entire time at the school. “We’ve been doing track and cross country together the whole time,” Rollins said. “That matters.”
Rollins will run next year for Wesleyan University. He said, “For track and cross country recruiting, the process is clear. Coaches tell you the time that you need to run and if you run it, you will get recruited. In one way it’s really easy. But in another way, there’s no faking it. There’s no ‘your coach comes to your game and you play really well.’ There’s nothing like that.”
The pressure landed for Rollins on two postseason meets at the end of his Upper Mid year. He ran well in both. “It was stressful, but I was really happy with how it went,” he said.
This year, Rollins placed 2nd in the 800 m, 2nd in the 1500 m, and 2nd in the 4×4 at the Founders League Champions on May 9. At New Englands on May 16, he placed 5th in the 800 m and 5th in the 4×4, earning him all-NEPSAC honors. He set a new Hotchkiss cross country course record on Saturday, October 11, with a time of 16:19. “I was lucky enough to do that on Senior Day,” he said. “That was a great moment for me.”
At Wesleyan, Rollins hopes to make the top seven varsity roster, the group that qualifies for nationals. He said, “I have one of the better cross country times among the incoming recruits. I think I have a real shot to make the top seven and travel to nationals as a freshman. That would be really fun.”
