University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Mid-Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Meet the Newcomers: Ava Hill
9/2/2020 4:02:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
Get to know Gophers freshman Ava Hill, a mid-distance runner from Aurora, Minn.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Freshman Ava Hill joins the Golden Gopher cross country and track & field program as a mid-distance runner from Aurora, Minn. Hill shares how she got into running, her academic plans, her proudest moment of her running career so far, and more.
Gopher Sports: How did you first get into running?
Ava Hill: I started in track in sixth grade. I joined with a few friends, and that kind-of started my journey. I started as a sprinter. I didn't think I'd do anything more than that. The 400 was my limit; that's what I thought at least. Then my coach kind-of pushed me to try some longer distances. I ran the 800 one time in eighth grade, and I ran it at sections last year. That kind of got me into the mid-distance, and then sophomore year I joined cross country.
GS: What other sports or activities were you involved in when you were growing up?
AH: When I was really young, I played softball. I played basketball, and I swam. Those are the three other sports I've been in besides running.
GS: What is it about running that made that be the sport you wanted to pursue at the college level?
AH: I got serious about running later on, so I want to see how far I can go with it. I do love basketball. For me, it was between basketball and running. I just thought that I would be able to go further with running and be more successful.
GS: What is your earliest memory of running or racing?
AH: In sixth grade, I did the 300-meter hurdles. I did that race pretty much every meet. When I think about beginning of my running, I think about that race.
GS: Do you consider yourself more of a cross country runner or track runner?
AH: I'm going to go with track on that one. I do enjoy both of them, but I think I just feel more in my element when I'm running track.
GS: What is your favorite distance to race?
AH: I think I'm going to go with the 800. It's the race I've probably done the most, and I still don't think I've gotten the hang of it. I still could improve and do better on it, and I just think it's a tough race. I enjoy doing it, even though it is tough.
GS: What is your family like?
AH: I'm really close with my sister. She is going to be a freshman in high school. We're good friends. She's probably one of my best friends. My parents are always there to support me, and then I have a brother who is a year younger than me. We don't talk too much, but we have a good relationship. My sister plays volleyball and basketball and soccer, and then my brother is a swimmer. I also have a German shepherd. His name is Niko, and he's white.
GS: In terms of your training or racing, what's one thing that you're really confident in and one thing that you want to work on more?
AH: Let's see, I'm think I'm confident in my ability to just get things done. This whole summer, I've been getting out in the mornings for training and just doing what I need to do. I'm confident that I'll always do what I need to do. Something I'd like to improve is just being more confident in my ability to compete at the level that I'm going to be competing. I think I just need to believe in myself a little more, and it'll help me.
GS: Do you know what you want to major in or what career field you want to explore?
GS: I'm not sure about my major yet. I'm thinking either Neuroscience or Cellular and Organismal Physiology because I'm pretty sure I want to go to medical school after college. I just have to figure out which path I want to take to get there.
GS: What is it about the field of medicine that drew you in?
AH: My dad is a nurse anesthetist. I got to go into the hospital and see what he does. There were no patients there, but he showed me around. I'm interested in helping people and improving their quality of life.
GS: What's the proudest moment of your running career so far?
AH: This one is between two. The first time I won the state 800 meter race it was very unexpected, for me at least; my coach told me I could do it, but I didn't really know about that. Then I did it, so that was cool. It's between that time and when I went to North Carolina to do a USATF outdoor national race. I PR'd, and I got second. That was a big thing for me because I was alone. I didn't have any of my teammates. It was just me and my mom who drove out there, so it was a tough situation for me to not be surrounded by teammates or anything and just be there by myself, but I got it done and I enjoyed doing it.
GS: What does your race day routine look like? Do you have any pre-race superstitions?
AH: I don't really do anything specific each time. I never eat a lot before I run or race. It's like an hour and a half to two hours before, I have to eat something light like carrots or pretzels. I'll just make sure I've eaten, and then I warm up and go.
GS: What advice would you give to a young runner or your younger self?
AH: Be open to trying new races and new things, even if you think it's not what you think you're meant for. Just go for it anyway.
Dream vacation: Greece. I'd like to explore all the ruins and experience the culture there. It looks pretty.
Dream car: One that runs and has good gas mileage. I don't really have a specific type.
Favorite dessert: Fruit pizza is my favorite.
Favorite show to binge watch: Probably Shameless.
Superpower of choice: Being able to fly.
Favorite animal: Tiger
Roads or trails: I'm going to go with trails, although I like a mix of both. If I need a slower run, like on recovery days, trails are nice for that. If I want to run faster, I definitely need to be on the road.
Winter or summer: I have to go with summer because I really like spending time on the lake and swimming.
Dog or cat: Dog
City or country: Probably country
What on your race day playlist: I listen to a mix of things, a lot of faster pace songs like rap and hip-hop, not a lot of slow songs, just a mix of artists. I guess Lil Nas X, I listen to him a decent amount before races.
Describe yourself in one word: Persistent
Describe yourself in one emoji: A smiling one. I'm happy most of the time.
Name one food you could never live without: Probably chicken. I eat a lot of chicken.
Favorite holiday: I really like Halloween because I like scary stuff. I love scary movies. I think that is my favorite.
Favorite pizza topping: Pickles – you don't bake them on it, you put them on after.
Favorite workout: I like running 200s and not having a lot of rest because that makes it go by faster. Having an active rest, jog back, and then just go again, something like that.
Favorite cartoon character: Sponge Bob
First thing that you do when you wake up in the morning: Take a sip of water and go back to sleep.
Pet peeve: Really loud noises when I'm tired.
My favorite superhero: Black Panther
Fill in the blank: Runner should never _____. Runner should never quit.
If you could trade lives with one person for a day, who would it be: I would have to go with someone really different from me, someone with a really different life, like a celebrity. Maybe Kim Kardashian.
###
Gopher Sports: How did you first get into running?
Ava Hill: I started in track in sixth grade. I joined with a few friends, and that kind-of started my journey. I started as a sprinter. I didn't think I'd do anything more than that. The 400 was my limit; that's what I thought at least. Then my coach kind-of pushed me to try some longer distances. I ran the 800 one time in eighth grade, and I ran it at sections last year. That kind of got me into the mid-distance, and then sophomore year I joined cross country.
GS: What other sports or activities were you involved in when you were growing up?
AH: When I was really young, I played softball. I played basketball, and I swam. Those are the three other sports I've been in besides running.
GS: What is it about running that made that be the sport you wanted to pursue at the college level?
AH: I got serious about running later on, so I want to see how far I can go with it. I do love basketball. For me, it was between basketball and running. I just thought that I would be able to go further with running and be more successful.
GS: What is your earliest memory of running or racing?
AH: In sixth grade, I did the 300-meter hurdles. I did that race pretty much every meet. When I think about beginning of my running, I think about that race.
GS: Do you consider yourself more of a cross country runner or track runner?
AH: I'm going to go with track on that one. I do enjoy both of them, but I think I just feel more in my element when I'm running track.
GS: What is your favorite distance to race?
AH: I think I'm going to go with the 800. It's the race I've probably done the most, and I still don't think I've gotten the hang of it. I still could improve and do better on it, and I just think it's a tough race. I enjoy doing it, even though it is tough.
GS: What is your family like?
AH: I'm really close with my sister. She is going to be a freshman in high school. We're good friends. She's probably one of my best friends. My parents are always there to support me, and then I have a brother who is a year younger than me. We don't talk too much, but we have a good relationship. My sister plays volleyball and basketball and soccer, and then my brother is a swimmer. I also have a German shepherd. His name is Niko, and he's white.
GS: In terms of your training or racing, what's one thing that you're really confident in and one thing that you want to work on more?
AH: Let's see, I'm think I'm confident in my ability to just get things done. This whole summer, I've been getting out in the mornings for training and just doing what I need to do. I'm confident that I'll always do what I need to do. Something I'd like to improve is just being more confident in my ability to compete at the level that I'm going to be competing. I think I just need to believe in myself a little more, and it'll help me.
GS: Do you know what you want to major in or what career field you want to explore?
GS: I'm not sure about my major yet. I'm thinking either Neuroscience or Cellular and Organismal Physiology because I'm pretty sure I want to go to medical school after college. I just have to figure out which path I want to take to get there.
GS: What is it about the field of medicine that drew you in?
AH: My dad is a nurse anesthetist. I got to go into the hospital and see what he does. There were no patients there, but he showed me around. I'm interested in helping people and improving their quality of life.
GS: What's the proudest moment of your running career so far?
AH: This one is between two. The first time I won the state 800 meter race it was very unexpected, for me at least; my coach told me I could do it, but I didn't really know about that. Then I did it, so that was cool. It's between that time and when I went to North Carolina to do a USATF outdoor national race. I PR'd, and I got second. That was a big thing for me because I was alone. I didn't have any of my teammates. It was just me and my mom who drove out there, so it was a tough situation for me to not be surrounded by teammates or anything and just be there by myself, but I got it done and I enjoyed doing it.
GS: What does your race day routine look like? Do you have any pre-race superstitions?
AH: I don't really do anything specific each time. I never eat a lot before I run or race. It's like an hour and a half to two hours before, I have to eat something light like carrots or pretzels. I'll just make sure I've eaten, and then I warm up and go.
GS: What advice would you give to a young runner or your younger self?
AH: Be open to trying new races and new things, even if you think it's not what you think you're meant for. Just go for it anyway.
Dream vacation: Greece. I'd like to explore all the ruins and experience the culture there. It looks pretty.
Dream car: One that runs and has good gas mileage. I don't really have a specific type.
Favorite dessert: Fruit pizza is my favorite.
Favorite show to binge watch: Probably Shameless.
Superpower of choice: Being able to fly.
Favorite animal: Tiger
Roads or trails: I'm going to go with trails, although I like a mix of both. If I need a slower run, like on recovery days, trails are nice for that. If I want to run faster, I definitely need to be on the road.
Winter or summer: I have to go with summer because I really like spending time on the lake and swimming.
Dog or cat: Dog
City or country: Probably country
What on your race day playlist: I listen to a mix of things, a lot of faster pace songs like rap and hip-hop, not a lot of slow songs, just a mix of artists. I guess Lil Nas X, I listen to him a decent amount before races.
Describe yourself in one word: Persistent
Describe yourself in one emoji: A smiling one. I'm happy most of the time.
Name one food you could never live without: Probably chicken. I eat a lot of chicken.
Favorite holiday: I really like Halloween because I like scary stuff. I love scary movies. I think that is my favorite.
Favorite pizza topping: Pickles – you don't bake them on it, you put them on after.
Favorite workout: I like running 200s and not having a lot of rest because that makes it go by faster. Having an active rest, jog back, and then just go again, something like that.
Favorite cartoon character: Sponge Bob
First thing that you do when you wake up in the morning: Take a sip of water and go back to sleep.
Pet peeve: Really loud noises when I'm tired.
My favorite superhero: Black Panther
Fill in the blank: Runner should never _____. Runner should never quit.
If you could trade lives with one person for a day, who would it be: I would have to go with someone really different from me, someone with a really different life, like a celebrity. Maybe Kim Kardashian.
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