Shorecrest Prep senior Alex Eaton finished her cross country career with a runner-up finish at the 1A Cross Country Finals. She boasts a personal best of 18:18.26 for 5000 meters. On the track, she finished fifth as a junior in the 3200 meters where she ran a personal best time of 11:21.29. Recently, Eaton announced she will be heading north to Athens, Georgia to run the for the University of Georgia.
What was the recruiting process like for you?
It has definitely been interesting. I got to meet some pretty cool people and visit some awesome places. But it was honesty so stressful and not as fun as I thought it would be. When I was a junior, I couldn't wait to be recruited. As a senior, I just wanted to find the perfect school for me and commit. I'm very happy with how it worked out, but not going to lie, the recruiting didn't make my senior year any easier or more fun.
What advice would you give to incoming seniors?
Make sure you know exactly what you want in a school. For the longest time, I didn't even know what I wanted, so that made my decision pretty hard. Also, don't commit unless you completely feel like the school is perfect for you. I could have and almost committed to a few different schools in the fall but I kept looking until I found the perfect place for me. It was hard getting to this point, but completely worth the wait. The wait definitely freaked me out.
Where else did you consider?
Columbia, UNC Chapel Hill, Davidson, Butler, University of South Carolina.
In the end you chose the University of Georgia. What sold you about the Bulldogs?
It's the perfect fit for me. They have everything that I want. It's a great program with a talented team and awesome coaches who really believe in me. I really enjoyed spending time with the team and coaches on my visit there. The entire school is so legit academically and athletically which are both very important to me. They have very strong journalism and political science departments which are two things I'm interested in studying. UGA also has a very strong track program, and their cross country team is also very good. I love the entire school pride, and I can't wait for game days at UGA! Additionally, I love the weather, the town of Athens, and the pretty campus. They also offered me a scholarship so that was very exciting. Finally, it's not too close or too far away from home.
What are you looking forward to most about running there?
I can't wait to train with such talented and nice people and under such an amazing coaching staff. I think I will improve a lot and learn a lot. I'm also excited to race at the collegiate level in such an intense SEC conference.
Do you have any specific goals?
I just want to do well for the team. I guess try to get the team to nationals in cross country and just try my best to add points to UGA's track score which is already pretty high considering they are ranked 5th in the nation right now. Go Dawgs!
What will you remember the most about your time at Shorecrest?
I will remember my teammates and our experiences together. We've had so much fun and we are literally like a family. The funniest was probably the bus ride back from states in which we basically just jumped around the bus singing and dancing, and throwing stuff at each other for a solid 7 hours in celebration of our performance at states. We were so excited and rowdy, and it was the best bus ride of my life. I love them all so much.
Now that the decision is behind you can finally focus on your senior track season. What are your goals?
It's so nice to have the decision done. I can't stop smiling! I feel like I have been hearing about college since middle school, and now I can finally relax because I am committed. For track, I want to stay healthy. That is goal number one. In 10th grade I couldn't do track because I had anemia due to very low iron and in 11th grade I struggled with Achilles tendinitis the entire time. I know if I can stay healthy I will definitely break my PRs and be one of the top in the state.
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