FARGO — Two former Fargo North Spartans have a unique experience as athletes at one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the nation.
Owen Sondag and Xavier Buckmiller, Class of 2024, just completed their first month as student-athletes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
So far, both players have expressed excitement about their time at MIT, but face major adjustments as they begin their collegiate careers. The pressures of being a student-athlete, the distance from home, and the high level of academic challenges made this transition a uniquely challenging experience for Sondag and Rearview Mirror.
“It’s been very busy,” said Buckmiller, who plays offensive line for the Engineers football team. “I was able to learn about the campus and how to live on my own without my parents before I was thrown out of my homework. And when I was thrown out of my homework, it was a second adjustment.”
Fargo North’s Xavier Buckmiller runs 50 yards after recovering a blocked punt against Grand Forks Central during a football game at Fargo North High School on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. scored a touchdown.
Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum
Meanwhile, Sondag is definitely enjoying the big change in his life.
“I think it’s been a really fun time adjusting. I’m having a lot of fun with it,” he said. “Being with a sports team like cross country made the adjustment a lot easier.”
While the challenge may be intimidating for some freshmen, Sondag also said MIT is too good a match to pass up.
“The sports culture here was definitely appealing to me,” he said. “I was definitely drawn to them because their goals aligned with what I wanted to do.”
Fargo North’s Owen Sondag finished first at the NDHSAA boys Class A state cross country meet held Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, at Parkhurst Campground Pipestem Reservoir in Jamestown.
David Samson/The Forum
After a highly successful career as a Spartan athlete, Sondag is a distance runner for MIT’s cross country and track teams, where he was the 2023 North Dakota Cross Country State Champion and the 2023-2024 North Dakota Gatorade of the Year. won player honors.
Both Sondag and Buckmiller pointed to some key differences between Cambridge and Fargo, including the denser city population and greater walkability of the Cambridge area. But they also found more similarities than they expected.
“The people here are pretty much the same as the people back home,” Buckmiller said. “They’re kind, hard-working people…When you get up close, most of them are much nicer than you think.”
Bachmiller and Sondag faced many changes and adjustments during their first year at MIT, but one thing remained constant. It’s about seeing each other at school.
“It’s always nice to run into him around campus and say, ‘Hey, that’s the guy from Fargo, North Dakota,'” Bachmyler said. “We don’t meet very often, but when we do we have a lot of fun.”
Rearview Mirror and Sondag will continue to stay busy with the sport in the coming weeks.
MIT Cross Country will travel to Terre Haute, Indiana for the DIII Prenational Meet on Friday, October 4th, and will race again the following day at the Bates Invitational on Saturday, October 5th.
MIT football will play at home this Saturday, October 5th against the Coast Guard.
