Pilot Point young gun on the run

Freshman already making name in three sports

By Joe Fragano

Contributing Writer

Having already appeared at the state cross country meet and being named first team all-district in basketball, Pilot Point freshman Addison Hite is making waves once again.

In the first three meets of the Bearcat track season, the upstart freshman has yet to miss the podium. Hite took gold in the 300-meter hurdles at the Bearcat Relays to start the season and helped the 4x100 team to a first-place finish at Krum last week. She also has medaled in the 800.

Pilot Point track coach Travis Marsh says the young athlete energizes the entire team and raises the competition level in practice and on meet day.

“The good thing about [Addison] is that all the other girls are working hard with her,” Marsh said. “She makes the whole team want to work hard.”

Hite has essentially been without an offseason. She went straight from cross country to basketball, and as soon as basketball season ended, she went right out to the track.

Hite says she is just enjoying the ride and that she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I enjoy being involved in so many sports,” she said. “It gives me something to work on and gives me goals. I've had a lot of good teammates, and it's just a lot of fun to be so involved.”

Marsh is just as enthusiastic about Hite’s involvement in other sports.

“In my opinion, any coach worth their salt wants their kids competing in as many sports as possible,” Marsh said. “It gives them a competitive edge. If they have a lot of downtime, they lose that edge. I love the fact that Addison plays everything she plays.”

Three varsity seasons in one year is a serious workload for any student-athlete and especially for a freshman. If it were up to Hite, she would be training non-stop. Marsh said that part of her growth as an athlete will involve learning the importance of recovery and implementing an effective routine without burning herself out.

“You really have to balance rest and recovery with performance,” said Marsh. “[Hite] is so used to competing all the time, I don’t think it’s anything new to her to be so active. She likes it. She’s so driven to succeed.”

As exciting as her freshman year has been, the real work still lies ahead for Hite. She hopes to explore collegiate athletics. But for now, she is just focused on the grind.

“I like to keep all my options open,” she said. “I would be happy either running or playing [basketball] in college. I just don’t want to narrow anything down yet.”