BEFORE ILLINOIS STATE

Hollander began his collegiate career at Valparaiso University, competing in cross country and track & field for three years. During his junior season, he was named to the All-MVC Cross Country First team, MVC Scholar-Athlete team, and was the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honoree. He qualified for the NCAA Division I Great Lakes Region Cross Country Championships, finishing with a personal-best time of 31:21.9 in the 10k at the event. As a sophomore, he received the Valparaiso University Presidental Academic Honors Award and was named an MVC Honor Roll student-athlete.

At Crystal Lake High School, Hollander was Fox Valley All-Conference in 2020 and 2022, helping his team win the conference championship in 2020. He earned numerous accolades, including three-time IHSA All-Regional honors, three-time IHSA All-Sectional honors, and a three-time IHSA state qualifier. In track field, he was a four-time All-Conference honoree, three-time All-Sectional honoree, and two-time state qualifer. Furthermore, Hollander was an Academic All-State Honorable Mention and Academic All-Conference honoree.