“When I saw that time, I was jumping up and down in the stands and then I was sprinting to the end of the line. I was like, ‘I’m going to be the first person she sees,’” Sierra Oliveira said. “She was crying, I was crying. I was just hugging her. I just kept telling her over and over again ‘We’re so proud of you. You’re amazing. Dad would be so proud. He saw that. He’s watching’ That was one of the proudest moments I’ve ever been of her.”
Said Moriah Oliveira, “I didn’t quit. I didn’t give up. And not only did I just show up, I also actually hit my goals. I wasn’t just going to practice and getting through practice. I was going to championships and competing and competing really well and winning. I almost couldn’t believe what I was going through because physically, what I was accomplishing wasn’t what I was feeling mentally. That was kind of tough to navigate sometimes, not really understanding how I was at such a low point mentally but performing so well. I think I finally figured it out at ACCs.”
What Oliveira realized was that on the track, even in her pain, competing was somewhat simple.
Her mind was focused not on her grief, the pain she and her sister shared, her family’s struggle, her classes, or anything else.
When she got on the line to start a race, her focus was on running and nothing more, with her father’s inspiration pushing her to go harder than she had the day before.
“I would definitely say that came from my dad. When I was in high school, meets weren’t always that serious. But to him, they were basically like an ACC championship,” Oliveira laughed. “Where I could have gotten a bad grade that day or there could have been a little injury or something, he’d always tell me ‘Go out there and run your race.’ I think that’s really been like my motto ever since I was in high school, just go out there and run no matter what you’re going through. In high school and now here in college, no matter what I’m going through off the track, that just kind of disappears for me when I’m about to race.”
That ability to perform her best when the spotlight is the brightest, Deem said, will only continue to be an asset as Oliveira continues growing in the sport and attempts to defend her title at this week’s ACC Outdoor Championships.
Managing expectations will be key, too.
“Track and field is a tough sport to go professional in, but I think she has the ability. She’s so young in the sport. Her training age coming into the University of Miami was very young, so for her, these next few years will let her see what she’s capable of in the sport of track and field,” Deem said. “If this is something she really desires, she has the skillset to be one of the best. But when you get to this level, everyone’s talented. When you get to the NCAA Finals or the USATF Finals, it becomes that extra [level]. That’s where the growth is going to come in…How does she handle those situations? Physically, she’s doing a great job. Now, it’s how do I handle the expectations moving forward?”
Making an Impression
Her coaches, teammates and competitors weren’t the only ones to take note of Oliveira’s skillset and championship mettle.
Last summer, the junior was one of 15 female student-athletes nationwide to sign a name, image and likeness deal with adidas, the University of Miami’s official athletic footwear, apparel and accessory brand.
As part of her partnership with adidas and the company’s “More is Possible” campaign, Oliveira spent four days in Los Angeles with top-notch student-athletes from across the country. She was the lone track and field athlete selected for the campaign, which was launched in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Title IX and debuted in New York City with help from tennis great Billie Jean King, women’s basketball star Candace Parker and Peloton instructor Ally Love.
It was, Oliveira said, an unforgettable experience and one more reminder that despite all she and her family had endured that there were still reasons to smile.
“Being with all those girls in the same room and knowing that we dedicate ourselves every single day to our sport, to perfecting our craft…being able to take pictures with everyone and sharing these special moments and each other’s stories, I thought that was a big thing for me,” Oliveira said. “That also kind of felt like a family, knowing that we represented something really important. We weren’t alone. We were doing it together and strength comes in numbers. So, I was really happy that I was there with 14 other girls. We had a really fun time.”
Said Deem of Oliveira’s impact on the NIL landscape, “I think Moriah set the stage very high for NIL with the University of Miami track and field program…Her balancing it [with her academics and competition] goes a long way into showing what opportunities can be available for track and field athletes. I think sometimes we look at NIL as [being for] basketball and football. But NIL can be a tremendous asset for not only Moriah, but for all of our track and field athletes. I think she is kind of paving the way for us as a track and field program of what opportunities are out there.”
For Oliveira, the goal now is to continue building on the success she’s found amidst her heartache.
