Addison Chang ’25 | Ella Becket ’25
Since Avery Elliott ’24 started running track at the age of twelve, she felt she could never stick with just one event. “I do the multis [the heptathlon and pentathlon], which is seven events. So I do the long jump, high jump, 100 hurdles, shot put, javelin, 200, 800, but also 300 hurdles and 400 hurdles, which are not in the multis. I just really liked jumping and sprinting, and multis allows me not to have to choose.” But Elliott’s favorite events are the hurdles, the high jump, and the long jump. Associate Head Coach Doug Borgerson feels that “because she’s a multisport athlete and…can do so many different things, there’s not an event that Avery can’t do at a high level. I don’t think people realize how talented she is.” He reveals his thoughts after watching Elliott run for the first time: “I thought she could be one of the greatest we ever had.”
Photo courtesy of Avery Elliot ’24
Elliott explains how her family introduced her to the sport: “My mom ran track in college, and all of my cousins ran with me in the summers, so I joined a summer track team, West Chester Track.” Elliott later came to EA during her sophomore year because she felt it had the best combination of sports and academics. In addition to her incredible talents as a runner, Coach Borgerson comments, “She is super kind and nice to everyone she comes across, and she is very positive towards the other girls on the team. She is always doing the right thing. She works very hard and sets a great example.” On the other hand, he feels that “Sometimes in this sport, you can doubt yourself. I am one of the coaches who reminds Avery how good she is when she doubts herself.”
Elliott has been a member of the Varsity Track team for her entire career at EA. “We have a lot of sprinters, and it’s the biggest team I’ve ever been on, so I’m able to do a lot of relays, which is fun. And I think we can win PAISAAs and the Inter-Ac this year,” Elliott remarks. Varsity Head Coach John Goens thinks Elliott can help the team achieve these two goals as he explains, “When she competes, she is dogged, she is determined, she is fierce. From a technical aspect, she works very hard to be just that: technical. Whether it’s her high jumping or her form, all that put together makes her a formidable competitor.”
Over the past few months, Elliott has been working to build her endurance to prepare for the winter track season and, later this year, the spring track season. Her coaches were amazed by her work in the heptathlon over the summer and how it demonstrated her extreme athletic ability. “I do high jump clinics in New Jersey, and in the fall, I do hills and lift on my own,” Elliott states. Previous captains showed Elliott how to start hard and strong with warmups and intervals, which she appreciates.
One of Elliott’s favorite memories from track season is the Penn Relays. She comments, “I really love Penn relays with our team because we get matching outfits and matching arm sleeves, and it’s just a really fun day.” Elliott has been presented with the opportunity to attend many impressive national-level competitions because she is, according to Borgerson, “willing to do a lot of events people are scared of.” Coach Goens feels that “her Inter-Ac Championship performances and winning the Judy Crouse MVP Award two years in a row points to her athletic prowess. I also think her performances at New Balance Outdoor Nationals, at Penn, and then racing at the Junior Olympics out in Oregon definitely speak to what she’s done and where she’s going.”
Elliott has recently committed to the University of Pennsylvania to continue running at the collegiate level. She chose this school because they have one of her dream majors. She is also excited to attend Penn because she will be able to compete in various events, just like she does at EA. “They are going to let me explore and get stronger in all my events,” she says. Coach Goens remarks on his hopes for Elliott’s future in college: “First and foremost, hit the books at Penn. Enjoy it. I hope her coaches help her achieve her goals. She is a goal-oriented student, she’s a goal-oriented athlete, and hopefully, she finds a balance so that at the end of four years at Penn, she feels accomplished.”