COLLEGIATE CHECK-IN
The goal of most high school student athletes is to continue competing at the next level of sports, and that is exactly what one of the Ranch Cities’ most decorated athletes, long-distance runner Addison Hite, has achieved.
The recent graduate of Pilot Point High School is currently in her first year at the University of Houston, where she competes as one of the newest members of the Lady Cougars’ track team.
“It's been an amazing experience so far,” she said. “[I] love being able to train with a good group of girls and different coaches. It's like I’m being pushed, but in a really good way, and it’s definitely been challenging academically, but I think I'm making progress, working through some [challenges] and learning a lot along the way.”
During four years with the Lady Cats, Hite won back-to-back gold medals in the 3200-meter race her junior and senior years at the UIL 3A State Track Meet, one gold medal at the 3A State Cross Country Meet and qualified for the state track meet seven times.
After dominating the competition at the high school level, Hite joined the track and field program at the University of Houston under the direction of nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis.
Hite said she has enjoyed the experience of working with the new coaching staff and that the culture they have created has helped her grow as an athlete.
“It's definitely a cool situation to have so much talent around us and to have past Olympians come and train here every now and then,” she said. “… It's been a great experience to see the level I’m on now and the potential that I could have in the future by being able to be mentored by these people.”
The signs of growth are already there, with Hite placing third in the 5K at the 44 Farms Invitational in College Station in April, but she emphasized how the new environment has reminded her of the importance of patience.
“The training has definitely gone up another notch, so trusting the process, trusting my coaches and just being part of the process is something that’s hard because this is running,” she said. “You don't get results instantly. It takes time. It takes years to continue building my fitness up. That has been the biggest lesson I've learned, which is just to enjoy the process, enjoy the growing pains.”
Despite being hundreds of miles away, Hite hasn’t forgotten about her home and offered words of wisdom to her former teammates who were scheduled to compete at the state track meet in Austin on Thursday.
“Enjoy the moment,” she said. “When you're on the starting line, it seems like the entire world's watching you, but just really take a [breath] and enjoy it. Be grateful for all the work that it took to get there and just compete your heart out.”
