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Princeton University junior, Andrei Iosivas ’18 is taking the world of collegiate sports by storm, winning numerous sought-after distinctions in track and field and football.
He currently ranks fourth in the nation for the heptathlon, a track and field event that encompasses the 60-meter dash, the long jump, shot put, high jump, pole vault, 60-meter hurdles and the 1,000-meter run. Iosivas has also earned All-American honors for the event and ranked 10th overall in the world.
And as if that weren’t impressive enough, the 6’4″ political science major is also making his mark on the collegiate football field, where he earned Second-Team All-Ivy last season as a wide receiver. He was third in the Ivy League in receiving yards and fourth in touchdowns.
By most people’s standards, he got an early start in sports with his first taste of football at the tender age of 5 – flag football, that is. “Flag football was so much fun, and I fell in love with it,” said Iosivas.
In addition to football, Iosivas started track in Junior School. He began with sprints and jumps, thanks to guidance from his uncle Tom Hintnaus, Punahou School’s pole vault coach and a former Olympian. An exceptional athlete, Iosivas made the varsity track team as a freshman at Punahou. In addition to his feats in high school football and track and field, he also lettered in a third sport, basketball.
“I’m competitive and I like to learn,” said Iosivas. “And if I’m good at something, I’m likely to stick with it.”
It’s that same competitive attitude that helps him maintain an edge over his competition and keeps him adding more wins to his collection: “I’m not satisfied yet.”
His outlook reflects the advice he would give to any up-and- coming athlete: “Never be satisfied with where you are in life. There’s always room to grow. Everything is a process.”
Training year-round in two sports is not without its challenges, or bumps and bruises. “There are little injuries, but this is what I signed up for.”
While Iosivas counts winning five gold medals at the Island Movers/HHSAA Track and Field State Championships as a high school senior among the biggest accomplishments of his entire athletic career, it’s the camaraderie with teammates that Iosivas also prizes.
“Winning gold with some of my best friends was nice,” he said. Iosivas is likely to keep up his athletic career post-college, as agents are taking note of him.
“The NFL looks good right now,” said Iosivas, “Track also seems something realistic to think about. Football has definitely been my focus for a bit. Track was more on the side. Now I’m looking at both.”
Beyond sports, Iosivas is a typical college student who wants to spend whatever free time he has with his friends, many of whom are his teammates.
“I just like to take time to be with my friends,” he said. “We’ll play video games. I don’t really have time to go off campus.”
In addition to his parents, Mihai and Evelyn “Bing” Iosivas, he was quick to thank his coaches for their influence, especially Hintnaus, and also Gary Satterwhite, the sprints coach at Punahou. Iosivas called Satterwhite a second father figure.
– By Jacquelyn Carberry