Scholarship Spotlight: Men's Distance Standout Kolyn Saltzman

Kolyn Saltzman, a New Orleans scholarship student-athlete and standout on the men's cross country and track & field teams, caught up with assistant director of athletic communications Matthew Schaefer before his squad heads off for the 2021 Southland Conference Cross Country Championships (set for Friday, Oct. 29) for the first edition of Scholarship Spotlight on UNOPrivateers.com.


What does being on scholarship at the University of New Orleans mean to you? What opportunities has being a student-athlete at UNO allowed you, both as a student-athlete and as an individual?

"Being on scholarship at UNO is a huge deal for me. It lets me know that my coaches trust in me and my ability to represent the Privateers. It also motivates me to see how much farther I can push the limits of my body. Being on scholarship has also given me opportunities that I am beyond grateful for. I am in the very fortunate position of being able to continue my education while having enough financial freedom to focus on becoming the best version of myself physically."

What impact has athletics had on your life? 

"Athletics has almost all the credit of shaping me into the person I am today. A lot of people where I am from fall victim to getting stuck or being complacent with where they are. While that may sit well with some, it is not the road I planned on going down. Athletics has also shown me how mentally tough you must be to survive this world and everything it will throw at you. Although I'm still young, and have many miles to run and learn from, I owe a great debt to athletics for the wisdom I have gained and the life lessons I have been shown."

What is your favorite thing about living in New Orleans and attending UNO? 

"I was born and raised in southern Louisiana and having family in New Orleans, I can think of no other place that suites me better. From being a little boy walking around the French Quarter with powdered sugar all over my pants (courtesy of Café du Monde) to a young man running through the same streets with all my teammates, this city has always had its way of captivating me. My favorite part of living in New Orleans and attending UNO is the authenticity and soul. This city has an energy that makes it feel alive and full of soul and with UNO being the city's university, it only makes sense to enjoy both in unison."

What's a fun fact about you someone might not know. 

"I am an open book for the most part, but if there is one "fun fact" about me, it is that I can hum and whistle at the same time. Not sure how I can accurately describe the sound other than saying it sounds like a hybrid between a cicada and a cricket, with a hint of bullfrog. I'm also pretty confident that I could eat almost half my body weight in boiled crawfish."

What does it mean to be able to represent the city of New Orleans as a student-athlete? 

"I take an immense amount of pride in having the privilege of wearing the city's name on my chest. In a city as resilient and as tough as New Orleans, I really try my hardest to emulate that grit in my running. Being a student-athlete simply means, in the wise words of Coach [Brian] Johnson, to do my job. With the influence of New Orleans I am able to go through the deepest trenches to get the job done and hopefully I have done the city and my university proud so far, with much more to come…"

A WORD FROM COACH 

"He may not have known it as a Freshman coming into a young UNO team, but Kolyn was the exact leader this team needed to push us to the next level," associated head coach Brock Moreaux said. "He is charismatic, big-thinking, hard-working and excellent in his interaction with his teammates. It can be really tough to ask a group of 18-to-20 year olds to get up at 5:30 AM every day to push themselves to exhaustion, but that task becomes much easier when you have a group that is worth getting up for, and that is exactly what Kolyn has helped build at UNO. For the third year in a row Kolyn will lead us into the Southland Conference Championships [set for Friday, Oct. 29] as one of the Southland's top individuals and this year he will lead a top-ranked team, with a shot at a team title." 




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