National Champion is a title that many strive for, yet very few people hold. The amount of hard work and determination it takes to achieve such a purpose deters many from even attempting. Yet, here on Hillsdale campus, freshman Matthew Redfield can claim that title in cycling. 

Redfield was born in Troy, Michigan, where he grew up cycling with his dad. Cycling, unbeknownst to many, has three different major disciplines: mountain biking, road biking, and track. Redfield competed in all three, but his best event became track. The track event entails racing a certain distance around a track, very similar to running. 

As Redfield began to specialize in track, his improvement steadily increased. He worked with his trainer and began to separate himself from his competition. During his junior year of high school, he raced in the Cycling Junior Nationals with his club team. In the four-person team pursuit of 4 kilometers, his team placed second with a time of 4:56, six seconds behind first place. 

After this unsatisfactory result in Nationals, Redfield and his teammates decided that something needed to change.

“Next year, we are going to win,” Redfield said to his teammates. They made a plan and worked with each other hours upon hours in order to perfectly execute it so that the next year would be different. 

In the summer of 2022 following his senior year, the moment came for his team to settle what they had promised the year previous. They got to the track and when the time came, they performed perfectly, taking first place in Nationals with a time of 4:43.6. Redfield also placed third in individual time trials with a time of 1:11 in one kilometer, just out of second place. 

Matt had his heart set on Hillsdale, and his junior year he received a call from Dr. Doug Dobrozsi, the staff overseer and founder of the Endurance Sport Club at Hillsdale. Dr. Dobrozsi asked Redfield if he would be interested in riding for Hillsdale, and the rest is history. Redfield rode in the Collegian Nationals right before entering his freshman year at Hillsdale, proudly representing the Chargers. 

“There’s a certain quality that you learn to see,” Dobrozsi said. “I’ll just call it a desire to win.” During the last stretch of the race, when all the competitors are tired, is when this desire and intensity is on display, Dobrozsi said. Matthew has a special talent, yet he will not accept mediocrity, and works extremely hard at his sport. 

“Every time I come back from tennis, he is on his bike in the room,” freshman Nik Wastcoat who is Redfield’s roommate said. 

The Hillsdale Endurance Sport Club is always looking for more athletes with riding experience. If you have experience and are interested, you can contact the club president Gabe Dobrozsi at gdobrozsi@hillsdale.edu. 

“It is up to students like Redfield to keep up the tradition,” Dobrozsi said.