KINGWOOD — It’s going to be quite the eight-day stretch for Preston High senior Ella White.
On Wednesday, White signed to run cross-country and track at WVU, and on Friday and Saturday White will compete in four events at the WVSSAC State Track Meet in Charleston and then next Thursday she will walk across the stage at Preston’s graduation ceremony.
“It’s going to be busy,” White said after her signing ceremony Wednesday morning. “I’m going to be on my feet, but it’s the last little bit of my high school so I’m going to enjoy it.”
In Charleston, White will run in the 400 and the 4×800 relay — she won the regional championship in both last week — as well as the 800 and the 4×400 relay as she chases her first state championship.
“(I want to) enjoy the time with my teammates,” White said. “It’s my last state meet, so I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”
White isn’t sure exactly what events she’ll run at WVU, although any of the middle-distance races are in play.
White described her recruiting process as stressful but she followed her heart to WVU.
“It was stressful, but it was a fun experience and I was grateful for everything,” she said. “It couldn’t have happened without my teammates, my parents or my coaches.
“Between all the schools, I just think my heart led me to WVU. My family has gone there and it’s so close to home.”
White is following in the footsteps of former Preston graduate and state champion Karly Hamric, who also matriculated to West Virginia.
In fact, it was breaking Hamric’s school record in the 400 as a sophomore that made White realize she could go to the Division I level.
“I think (I realized) when I broke the 400-meter record for the first time,” White said. “One of the greatest that’s ever been at Preston High (Hamrick) was whose record I broke. She was an all-American so I thought that obviously meant I could do something.”
White knows how much different running at WVU will be than high school but, just like how she runs, she’s taking things one step at a time.
“I see it as an opportunity,” she said. “Not everybody gets to go do this after high school. It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be a tough change, but I’m ready for it.”
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