Kaia Anderson, staff writer

Mohammed Bati is a college athlete and senior here at Augsburg University who excels in his chosen sports: cross country and track & field. During the 2025 cross country season, Bati was able to make it to nationals in the 8-meter event, where he placed 2nd and earned his second All-American title-a recognition for being one of the top performers in cross country nationwide. 

Unfortunately, he will be unable to participate in the ongoing track & field season due to a ruling from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). This ruling comes after he received a donation of $6,000 from his community to help pay for his tuition. Without this money, the circumstances are that Bati would have likely had to drop out of school. The NCAA Division III (D-III) handbook outlines rules and regulations that determine sport eligibility. One such rule is that DIII athletes are unable to receive financial aid that is not from traditional financial aid options such as school scholarships, government grants, and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The NCAA ruled that Bati’s acceptance of the money from the community violated this rule.

After the ruling, Bati posted to Strava, an app for tracking exercise, about what was going on. He began his post by stating, “I don’t think some NCAA rules are fair to everyone.” While he takes responsibility for the rule violation, he also expresses his feelings of frustration and disappointment about not being able to participate in the sport he loves, “I understand that’s their rule, but I don’t think they look at the story behind it… I wanted to run this season with my teammates, make memories in my last year.”

On Jan. 26, it was announced that Bati had signed with Minnesota Distance Elite, formally known as Team USA Minnesota. This team was founded in 2001 and has trained Olympians, world champions, and record-breaking runners. This highly selective team will hopefully give Bati the chance to do what he has dreamed of: running for Team USA at the Olympics. In Dec. 2025, at the California International Marathon (CIM), Bati finished with a 2:12:28, a time that qualifies him for the Boston Marathon and the 2028 Olympic Trials.

Bati’s situation has been shared across America, from The New York Times to numerous videos on social media. People have connected with his story and found inspiration from his ambitions and intense routines. Mohammed is well-loved by his teammates and the running community as a whole. He is set to graduate this spring semester with a degree in nursing, and I can only wish him the best of luck for all his future endeavors. Who knows, maybe Augsburg will have an alumnus running at the 2028 Olympic Games.