In 2007 during her junior season, Lauren Bosshardt ’08 scored the first ever distance point for Wofford at the Southern Conference Track and Field meet. She was selected as a CoSIDA Academic All-American, and when she graduated she held eight college records (5K, 6K, indoor track mile, 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, and outdoor track 3,000 steeplechase, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters). Now she’s a U.S. Air Force physician (Capt. Bosshardt or Dr. Boss, her favorite) and a new member of the USAF Marathon Team.

“I continue to run because I have a passion for it. I dare say I may be addicted to it,” says Bosshardt. “It has been the one constant in my life. Running picks me up when I’m feeling down. It’s always there for me.”

After Bosshardt graduated from Wofford, she spent four years in medical school at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. She then completed her emergency medicine residency at Indiana University in Indianapolis.

“My grandfather is retired Army. I have always admired his character and his life experiences,” says Bosshardt, who wanted to become a doctor but didn’t relish leaving med school with massive debt. “The honor of serving this unique patient population combined with the opportunity to have some amazing life experiences made enlisting an appealing choice.”

Bosshardt applied to the USAF team after posting several winning race times while she was stationed at Osan Air Base in South Korea. She was selected to represent the Air Force in a region that covers most of Europe, where she’s now stationed at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England.

According to Bosshardt, the athletes who are selected for the team receive extra leave, paid travel, lodging, a uniform and entry to races.

“Most of the training will be on my own, which I’m used to, because the other five members of my team (a total of four men and two women) are at different bases in Europe,” says Bosshardt. “Being a student-athlete at Wofford was a challenge that taught me countless lessons about self-discipline, time management and leadership. I think above all I value what it taught me about balancing work and life. It’s helped me sustain my running passion through medical school, residency and now as a member of the USAF Marathon team.”

by Jo Ann Mitchell Brasington ’89, Fall 2016