Lily Stough and Her New Beginning in Track

Lily Stough competes in outdoor track at Randy Marion Track and Field Facility.

Photo Credits: Lily Stough

Jillian Studebaker, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

Throughout Watauga High School, there are many talented athletes who have brought recognition to both themselves and the school. Whether it’s running, a ball sport or even a less-recognized one, there are many people who excel at what they do. Senior Lily Stough is a talented runner who has been getting a lot of recognition recently among the high school and colleges.

“Colleges started showing interest in me during last year's outdoor season and they started reaching out,” said Stough.

Many colleges have reached out, attempting to recruit her. This is a big privilege for Stough to be requested by so many colleges and she’s been very excited about all of this interest.

“I feel good,” said Stough. “It’s definitely been a long process and I’m excited to go into the indoor season.”

Several colleges have reached out to her with programs that could benefit both her athletic and academic career. However, some have stood out more than others.

“Brown definitely stood out the most,” said Stough. “They have an open curriculum and so you aren’t required to take math if you don’t want to. You just kind of take whatever classes you’re interested in.”

All of the colleges that have reached out to her would be beneficial to Stough as she begins to discover her track career long-term. However, these decisions can be hard for someone in high school to decide. Luckily, she has a strong support system to help her navigate this chapter of her life.

“My mom and dad are definitely my main supporters,” said Stough. “They’ll drive me to practices that are off the mountain and they take me to all my meets. They definitely support me a lot and put a lot of effort into it.”

Parents usually play a major role in getting their children to and from their sports and extracurriculars. Significant travel for both the kids and the parents can often be difficult to balance. Being flexible and learning to work around other commitments are important skills in athletics, particularly for athletes involved in multiple sports or seasons.

“We kind of take indoor track as more of a buildup and practice for outdoor track,” said Stough. “Normally, when we reach our peak and go to the bigger meets and stuff, then we move on to outdoor track.”

Indoor and outdoor track are definitely different from each other and each has their own perks. Indoor track can be more flexible for the winter whereas outdoor track would have to be solely during the warmer months.

“Outdoor is definitely my favorite because more people are a part of it and we have a bigger team,” said Stough. “Outdoor meets are just a lot better, and it's warm which is nice.”

Although Stough gained attention for track during her later years of high school, she began competing several years earlier, which helped her progress in the sport.

“I started outdoor track in 8th grade,” said Stough. “I then started running indoor track my freshman year of high school.”

Her passion and talent for track has been built up over years of practice that has helped to bring her along in the sport. Overall, Stough has proven herself to be a talented member on the track team and has a great future ahead of her with hopefully many more competitions to come.

“Track means a lot to me,” said Stough. “It’s a place where I can spend time with my friends as well as compete. Everyone is so supportive and being a part of this team makes me feel like I’m really part of something special.”