Former CWU sprinter building her profile with Team USA

E’Lexis Hollis is living out her childhood dream in real time, competing for USA Track and Field this spring and positioning herself for a shot at the 2027 World Championships in Beijing and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The former Central Washington University star sprinter put herself on the national team’s radar this winter after a breakout performance at the USA Indoor Championships in Staten Island, New York, where she placed sixth in the 60-meter dash.

Hollis’ impressive showing at that meet earned her an invitation to a Team USA training camp at the University of Florida, where she tried out for the Mixed 4 x 100 relay squad. The combined male-female relay team was training for the World Athletics Relays in Botswana in early May, and Hollis initially earned a spot as a non-travel alternate.

But fate intervened and she was on the next plane to Gaborone, Botswana.

“When one of the runners was unable to go, they asked me if I wanted to go in her place, and I said ‘yes’ so fast,” said Hollis, who competes for the Garden State Track Club out of New Jersey. “I was like, ‘take me to Africa!’”

Not only did Hollis get to experience her lifelong dream of donning a Team USA uniform; she and her teammates ended up winning a bronze medal in an American record time of 40.33 seconds, just behind teams from Jamaica and Canada.

Hollis ran the anchor leg, competing alongside Team USA mainstays Kyrie King, Courtney Lindsey, and Jada Mowatt. She explained that the Mixed 4 x 100 is a relatively new event in international track and field, but it has been gaining popularity with athletes and fans alike.

“I had never practiced it before I went to Florida, and it was kind of intimidating at first to have a guy running at me full speed with the baton,” Hollis said. “But after working with the team for a week or so, I got super comfortable with it.”

The University of Florida camp also helped Hollis build relationships with coaches and fellow athletes, which she hopes will give her a realistic chance of seeing her name called again for upcoming events like the USA Outdoor Championships in July and the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in September.

“We qualified for the World Athletics event with our performance in Botswana, but I don’t know for sure if I will be picked again,” Hollis said. “We’ll have to see because USA Track and Field is very competitive. But I feel like I’ve got a good chance if I keep doing what I have been doing.”

She also hopes that familiarity will lead to additional opportunities with the national team, whether it’s in the Mixed 4 x 100 or in the 100 and 200 meters — her specialty at CWU, where she won three Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships in 2025 and earned First Team All-American honors.

Hollis, who grew up in Ellensburg, served as a volunteer coach for the CWU Track and Field team this year. She’s also enrolled in CWU’s Instruction and Curriculum master’s program after graduating last year with her bachelor’s degree in education.

“I figured, why not just bang it out?” she said. “I love Central, and it just made sense to keep going with my education.”

With spring quarter nearly in the books, Hollis will continue to train with the Garden State Track Club this summer as she prepares for the USA Outdoor Championships. She competed in the 100 and 200 meters at an event in Tennessee in late May, and she feels like she’s getting faster with every passing week.

Now that she has become a known commodity in USA Track and Field circles, that will only help her progression onto the world stage.

“This has been my dream since I was little, and it means everything to me,” Hollis said. “My ultimate dream is the Olympics, but this experience is a really good stepping stone. I’m excited to see how far I can take it.”