Eli Bohm epitomizes what it means to be a student-athlete. A class valedictorian, he recently signed a letter of intent to run cross country at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE).
Bohm joins a highly-respected program coached by Bill Massoels who boasts a Division III NACC cross country conference title to his credit. Bohm expects to run as a freshman with a goal of “sub 28” in the 8k (basically five miles).
When it comes to running, Bohm finds inspiration in Grant Fisher whom he calls “humble,” and “down-to-earth.” Fisher shocked the running world at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning bronze in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, becoming the first American to medal in both events at an Olympic Games.
“As of right now, making it to state is motivating me, but when state isn’t the goal becoming better than the old me is what usually motivates me,” Bohm said. “It’s also easy to feel motivated in races when I’m looking at someone ahead of me and all I’m doing is trying to catch them.”
Bohm can’t state specific reasons for choosing MSOE other than the fact that it “felt like home” and “somewhere I wanted to be.”
“It’s close to Lake Michigan and Fiserv Forum so there’s a lot to do, along with the fact that I can run there. Academics are very strong as well, so I’ll be able to get a high level education not too far from home while living in a city.
“Finally, they help people of all grades find internships so I can find work I like to do right when I start out instead of having to wait two years or something like that. Also, I get to start my major as soon as I step in the building instead of doing a lot of gen eds that I might not even need.”
Looking back over his running career, Bohm is thankful to have “amazing coaches at every level” who went to great lengths to personalize his training. “Over the summer last year, before cross country, my coaches helped me get on basically a college training plan which I stayed on for the whole season, so it’s like I have a college season under my belt already. They also taught me a lot about racing and pacing, too.”
Bohm intends to study mechanical engineering at MSOE. He is the son of Ashley and Eric Bohn.
