Back from Injury, Bodie Molnar Opens Track & Field Season on Saturday

A collective “woah” resonated through Newell Field House as Bodie Molnar’s 300-meter time was displayed on the scoreboard. 35.30, good for a new Saints Holiday Relays meet record in his first ever race for St. Lawrence. The Holiday Relays is an early season indoor meet, December 2 in the case of 2023, and is often referred to as a “rust buster” by players and coaches alike. To an onlooker, no rust could be found in the legs of Molnar. He’ll tell a different story, however. Molnar ran the race with a stress fracture in his tibia, and he knew it. 

Molnar began his athletic career at age four by picking up a hockey stick to follow in the skate path of his father and his older sister. He played soccer and baseball as well. He started running track in 7th grade.  

“His gift that he’s been given is his speed,” said Molnar’s mother, Deb Molnar. “In any sport that he’s played, it’s his speed that has really made him stand out.” 

Molnar did it all on the track in high school, tackling any and every challenge placed in front of him. He ran 11.26 in the 100m, 22.76 in the 200m, and 51.67 in the 400m. If you’re not familiar with track times, those are really good. Maybe even more impressive was his ability to stretch out the distance. He ran himself a 1:59.6 800m and a 4:36.72 1600m which is darn close to a mile. These times turned the heads of some college coaches, including that of St. Lawrence coach John Newman. Despite the prowess and attention Molnar garnered with running, his true passion was hockey. He chose to pursue the path necessary to play college hockey. He left the local Norfolk High School for the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. He graduated in 2021 and signed with a junior hockey club. Not long into his stint there however, Molnar developed a sports hernia which prevented him from continuing his hockey career. This was a big blow for him but he picked himself up by his bootstraps and attacked the next challenge. 

Molnar reached out to Newman around December of 2022 inquiring about getting some track times that he could send to coaches. 

“I was thinking well, I wonder if he’s looking at St. Lawrence,” said Newman who happily helped Molnar out and allowed him to run unattached at the St. Lawrence Open on February 17. Here was Molnar, a recruit, getting the most hands-on experience he could possibly get going into college. 

“He ran two races, the 60 and the 200,” said Newman, “He won both races.” Molnar posted a 7.18 in the preliminary heat of the 60m and a 7.11 in the finals. 

“The funny thing is there was a little glitch in the meet management so because he was unattached it didn’t advance him to finals even though he would have been the top seed,” Newman said, “So within minutes of the start of the final, Bodie came up to me and was like, am I not in the 60 final?” Newman figured it out and threw him in an open lane. Molnar did not just come to this meet to get times. He came to win. 

Molnar has carried his competitive edge from a young age. “We’d do a lot of board games as a family and he would get very upset if he didn’t win,” said Deb Molnar with a chuckle. Molnar was taught to hone this competitive edge into focused effort with the help of his father. 

“His dad always created challenges for the kids,” Deb Molnar said. One of these challenges involved the young Molnars racing across the backyard on top of tires like hamsters. 

“When we’d be at travel hockey games for his sister the parents would say things like who wants to bet that Bodie can do this many pushups? Bodie would get down on the floor and do the pushups and the parents never thought he’d be able to because he was so young,” she said. “No matter what he does he does it at such a high intensity.”  

Molnar brought that intensity to the Holiday Relays by running through his injury. 

“It was hurting a lot,” he said, “I kinda just wanted to get one race in and see how it felt. It was a good time and then a week after I was in a boot for a month.” Following the boot, Molnar entered three months of rehab. He worked his way all the way back to the starting line at the Saints Ice Breaker outdoor meet on March 30. He ran a successful leg of the 4×100 but was not as lucky in the 200m. He tore his left hamstring in the first 100 meters, sidelining him for the remainder of the season.  Despite the grim nature of the situation, Molnar kept a positive attitude. 

“He puts in all the work but it’s clear that he does it quietly,” said Junior teammate, Brogan Mcgorray. As a teammate of Molnar myself, I resonate with McGorray’s sentiment. I never heard him make any noise about how difficult his rehab was and how much it sucked to be injured. He was very thoughtful with his approach. 

“The way he takes care of his body, values his nutrition, his recovery, are all aspects of what it takes to be a great athlete.” SLU assistant track and field coach Eric Geier.  

“Sports don’t owe you anything,” Molnar said, “As I can get injuries I can also prevent them.” With this being said, he is incredibly grateful for what sports have graciously given him. 

“While the physical hurdle of rehab is one Molnar has already tackled, the mental toll of back to back injuries is what stands in his way. 

“You’re only as good as your last race and the last race I got injured,” he said, “What happens when I go again? Odds are high I’ll be susceptible to injury again. I think I’ll come to getting over that mental hurdle with competition. You can push yourself to a certain extent but I’ll run faster when I’m chasing someone down.”  

In regards to chasing people down, Molnar has set ambitious goals for his college career. 

“I’m chasing times. I’m chasing school records,” he said. “I want to go sub 48 (in the 400m), I want to go sub 21.6 (in the 200m), I want to go sub 10.8 (in the 100m), and I want to go sub 6.9 in the 60m. I want regional championships, Liberty League championships, and I want to make it to nationals.” 

Molnar will kick off his season once again at the Saints Holiday Relays on December 7 in good health. Teammates and coaches are eager to see a healthy Molnar in action. For Molnar, this is just another opportunity. When I sat down with him, he ended the conversation with a quote from Steve Prefontaine. 

“No matter how hard you train, someone will always train harder. No matter how fast you run, someone will always run faster. No matter how hard you work, someone will always work harder. I am someone.”