Four years ago, senior Theodore Butty traded in his figure skates for running sneakers. Now he has found his next stage: Boston University.

Butty is a captain of the cross country team and committed to BU to pursue his running career at the collegiate level. He started high school as a competitive figure skater but began running sophomore year.

Butty found success with running in middle school, and he specifically recalls winning second place in the B.A.A. 1K race. This marked the start of his running career.

“I got second off of no training. That was pretty uplifting, and I thought that was promising,” Butty said.

Butty works at a runners’ apparel store called Heartbreak Hill Running Company in Newton. Senior teammate Harry Flint said he’s dedicated to the sport as a whole.

“He’s deeply indulged in the sport of running. He’s very invested, and that’s always something you can talk to him about,” Flint said.

Since sophomore year, both Butty’s times and his discipline have developed immensely. Butty said that sticking to the training plan assigned by his coach has been his greatest improvement since he started running.

“Sophomore year was a little hard, and I didn’t realize it at the time, but my coach has a bigger picture in his mind, and it really does pan out. So, just keeping consistent is important,” Butty said.

According to head coach Michael Glennon, Butty is both mature and competitive.

“He doesn’t back down when we’re in championship situations. He’s a great leader, and he loves the sport,” Glennon said.

Flint said he keeps the team moving forward, encouraging them to push their pace on runs and never drop any reps. Younger runners, especially sophomores on varsity, look up to Butty as a role model, according to Flint.

“He’s the kind of guy that you can talk to and that will reassure you, and maybe even be very blunt to you,” Flint said.

Flint said Butty is not only a dedicated and hardworking athlete but also a goofball at times.

“He’s unserious a lot of the time. He’s not all business, but he’s very good about code-switching and knowing how to balance being disciplined and being goofy,” Flint said.

Butty said he didn’t want to go to college too far from Brookline, and the BU coach showed interest in him, and Butty reached out to the coach. He received an offer after an unofficial visit. During his visit, Butty had the opportunity to meet the BU team and run with them.

“The team is amazing. They’re really fun, and I’m excited for the future with them,” Butty said.

As Butty looks ahead to running at BU, he knows his goals are ambitious.

“I think my goal is to make as big of an impact on the BU team as I can right away,” Butty said, “and really just rise through the ranks.”