Madison Hill | UTEP Beach Volleyball

Hometown/Current City: El Paso Texas
Undergraduate Major: Mechanical Engineering
Postgraduate Field of Study (If applicable): MS Mechanical Engineering

What career path are you pursuing after college?
After college, I plan to pursue a career in engineering hopefully working for a lab or some type of research facility. I have a peaked interest in the field of computer animated design and additive manufacturing, and I’ve spent a lot of time studying both.

What has it meant to you to be part of this program from day one?
This program fell into my lap at the perfect time in my life and I immediately fell in love with beach volleyball. It’s been amazing to get to see it grow and watch so many people come in and out and add to the future of the program. I’m so proud to say that I got to be a part of the very first UTEP beach team and watch the legacy continue to grow through strong young women who care about this sport as much as I do.

How did being part of a new program shape your experience as a student-athlete?
This program started with very limited resources, and it really made me appreciate the luxuries of some long existing programs that get to have new updated facilities and long existing donors who have been following these teams for a long time. Working really hard to make a name for beach volleyball as a brand-new program really makes all of the little victories and moves forward so much sweeter. It made me so much more grateful to watch people start to care about our team because it felt more personal. It felt like we earned it.

What will you remember most about being part of this first group?
The team who started this program was truly a family. We cared so much about learning to compete at a high level quickly. I’ll always remember the countless hours and extra reps trying to make ourselves stronger and faster and consistently trying to out-work our opponents on and off the sand. We loved being together and cheering for each other whether we win or lose, and I will never forget the relationships that we built.

Advice for future student-athletes?
My advice for future student athletes is to give everything you’ve got from the start of your first year. The time in NCAA athletics goes by so fast and there isn’t a lot of time to waste holding yourself back or questioning your abilities. Build relationships, take risks, listen to your coaches and push yourself out of your comfort zone. It’s going to make you a better human being overall.

What are you most proud of (as a student-athlete)?
I’m most proud of how much I’ve grown on and off the sand. I learned so much about myself mentally and gained so much confidence over the years that I didn’t know I had in me. I feel like getting to see hard work payoff is such a rewarding feeling and it’s nice to look back and give your younger self someone to be proud of.

How has being a student-athlete helped you succeed in the classroom?
The discipline it takes to commit to so many hours of training is difficult. It takes a competitive and consistent athlete to continue to show up every day. This mindset really transferred into the classroom and made me put a lot of effort into succeeding in my classes. Especially with the standard that athletes must uphold in the classroom it’s easy to work hard for good grades when you know it matters to your opportunities on the court.