CBA Cross Country Athlete Spotlight: Troy Hill ’20
Throughout the storied history of CBA athletics, there is one sport that has been dominant for decades – cross country.
Over the past four years, the program’s accolades rival almost any other four-year stretch in their history. One of the most important leaders of the group has been senior Troy Hill.
Hill comes from a running family and started out doing road races at five years old. However, it was not until the end of seventh grade at St. James School in Red Bank when he believed he could truly be a great runner. Since then, he has tried to master both the ups and the downs of long distance running.
“The hardest part about running is ignoring the mind and trusting the body to carry on,” Hill said. “Running requires focus and consistency throughout long periods of time, and racing consists of a complete exertion of physical strength and a prolonged endurance of pain.”
To prepare for the exhaustion and stress on his body, Hill follows a rigorous training schedule. He runs around 45 to 60 miles a week, which includes a combination of long distance of 11 to 13 miles, some easy distance runs (at a seven minute mile pace), and fast tempo runs.
Thanks to this rigorous regimen, Hill has achieved great success since day one at the Academy. His CBA career started with a victory at the Class of 2020’s Heath Freshmen Run in 2016.
His favorite moment over the last four years was representing CBA at Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon, where the best cross country teams in the country face off. Of course, it is his goal to help his team return to the Portland trail this December.
“[Nationals] is an effective way of measuring how hard we have worked throughout the months of the cross country season,” Hill said. “Right now, we have big goals for NXN as we hope to make it there in less than a month.”
So far this fall, he has already turned in top-five personal performances at the Bowdoin Classic and Shore Conference Championship, helping his Colts capture the title at both meets.
His success at the Academy has led him to a commitment to the University of Pennsylvania, one of the top colleges in the United States, which he made official on Wednesday’s National Signing Day.
Hill has left his certainly left his mark at CBA, and the future is certainly bright for the cross country phenom.
