(Atlantic) Atlantic senior Ava Rush made things official with the Iowa track program on Wednesday. Rush signed her Letter of Intent to compete for the Hawkeyes during a ceremony at the high school.
She described Iowa as a dream school. “I would say from the very first time my sister went up to Iowa and I got to experience that with her and got to visit her and everything, ever since I went there I just knew that’s where I wanted to be. I fell in love with the campus and everything and I’ve always been an Iowa fan, so this is really just a dream come true for me.”
Rush points out a lot of hard work led to this opportunity. “I think the biggest part is doing all the work in the offseason. I think that’s when most athletes aren’t willing to put in the work, but if you are I think that’s what’s going to get you to the next level. I feel like putting in all the work will pay off.”
She credits her teammates and coaches for pushing her. “My teammates and coaches I would say are the biggest thing that has gotten me here. My teammates push me in practice everyday especially when it comes to the hard workouts. They help you stay positive and everything when it gets tough, especially in meets too. Even when things don’t go your way on the mental side too, they’ll always be there. Claire Pellett has always been there for me for that part. I think my coaches have helped me. They’ve given me good workouts to help me stay fit, but they’ve also helped me on the mental side and prepared me for everything.”
Rush has been involved in cross country, volleyball, track, and softball. “I think all the sports that I’ve done have helped shape me to be a good track runner. In every sport there are little things that will help you with track. You can take little things from every sport you do. I think being involved in other sports have helped me. To deal with different situations that come up in every sport has really helped too.”
Rush earned an all-state spot in cross country this past fall with a top ten finish in Fort Doge. She has competed in seven events at the state track meet the last two years including a 4th place medal in the 4X400 as a junior.
