TAMPA, Fla. — Megan Hughes can run anywhere.
Rain or shine, Megan sets a course with her feet.
“The sport’s really taken me to places that I never saw in myself,” Hughes said.
- Megan Hughes carries a 4.0 GPA, is one of top seniors at Academy of the Holy Names
- Three-sport student-athlete selected to the FHSAA Academic All-State Team
- Will attend Notre Dame, run for the Irish
What do you do when your reality exceeds your dreams? If you’re Megan, you soak it all in.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” she said.
This Academy of the Holy Names senior is quite the multitasker. She balanced a tough academic load with playing basketball and running for the Jaguars cross country and track and field teams.
Her balancing act is garnering a lot of attention, including a selection on the FHSAA Academic All-State Team.
“I see myself as very competitive, so I like to push myself in both areas,” she said.
In the classroom, Megan carries a 4.0 GPA as one the top students in her graduating class. Athletically, she’s left her mark as Academy of the Holy Names' record holder in the 5K, 400, 800 and 1600 meter events.
“I enjoy seeing the rewards come from hard work in both ways,” Hughes said.
Megan trains just as hard in the classroom as she does on the athletic fields and sees a carry over in both of her worlds.
“I enjoy seeing how far I can go,” she said, “and so, doing that both academically and athletically at the Academy has really been very special to me.”
That drive will lead Megan to Notre Dame, where she will run for the Irish.
“I’ve known that I wanted to go to Notre Dame for a really long time,” she said. “It’s definitely been a goal of mine, even before high school. To be able to get there through athletics has been special.
Running taught Megan she could literally go anywhere. It’s also taught her so much more about herself.
“I’ve learned that I’m capable of a lot more than I ever thought,” Hughes said.