Over the holiday break, Hayden Souza, a senior from Park Tudor High School, announced his commitment to Villanova University.
After dabbling in track and field as a youth athlete several years ago, Souza moved away from the sport to pour all of his athletic focus into basketball.
He honed his skills on the hardwood for a number of years and enjoyed a lot of success along the way.
There was an undeniable temptation to move back to track for Souza, however.
Perhaps his family genes was a contributing factor for the decision to return last year as a junior classman.
Souza's mom, Jill, was a cross country and distance runner for the University of Arkansas and his dad, Paul, was a jumper for Penn State University and still holds the Nittany Lions top program mark (indoors) at 7-4.25.
Whatever the case may be, Souza is now all in on the sport and is motivated to reach his full potential. Following a junior year highlighted by solid marks out of the gates in a variety of events, Souza is now determined to find his niche within track and take his game to the next level.
Souza joined MileSplit for an interview last week, where we discussed the benefits of his basketball, as well as football, experiences and how they expedited his development as a track athlete.
He also highlighted his upcoming senior season goals, his training regimen, his vision for how he'll contribute at the college level and much more.
Interview Topics
- 0:00 -- Episode Introduction
- 0:35 -- Why he decided to commit to Villanova
- 1:15 -- Detailing his visit and his perception of the coaching staff
- 2:20 -- Why the Wildcats program will help him maximize his talents
- 3:50 -- What events he'll specialize in and the ones he likes the best
- 5:45 -- Transitioning from basketball to track
- 7:30 -- Comparing basketball rules and complex thinking needed in track
- 9:35 -- How high he can elevate his track skills
- 11:30 -- Highlights from junior year and why track is so much fun
- 13:25 -- Talking his debut football season
- 15:05 -- Possibility of walking on to Villanova football team
- 15:55 -- The deep rooted family connection and ties to high level athletics
- 17:35 -- Meeting track pros through his mom Jill's work at USATF
- 18:55 -- Goals for the 2024 high school indoor and outdoor track seasons
- 20:15 -- Experiences of being coached by his dad, Paul
- 21:30 -- Looking ahead to collegiate-based goals
