RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Upon first meeting sophomore Hannah Hilding, it might not be immediately obvious how detailed and determined of a competitor she is. 
 
With bright eyes, an ever-present smile and a joyful voice, Hilding can make a person comfortable in an instant. She can also step into a throwing ring and dominate a meet. 
 
The thrower has been one of the standouts during The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's (UTRGV) outstanding 2024 track & field season. She earned bronze and All-WAC First Team honors in shot put at the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Indoor Championships in February, also taking fifth in weight throw as she hit indoor personal bests in both events to help UTRGV's women take fourth. 
 
Notching personal bests has been common practice for Hilding throughout her sophomore season. Every indoor meet saw her improve her marks in shot put and weight throw. She's had at least one, and usually two, personal bests fall week after week while competing outdoors despite a full program. Hilding has collected three event wins and nine top-five finishes, never missing a final, this outdoor campaign. 
 
"I knew moving from a Division III school to a Division I school there was going to be a different caliber of athlete, but working with someone like Hannah has been otherworldly, honestly," assistant throws coach Jakob Degenshein said. "You expect your athletes to progress, but I've sat back and looked at Hannah's season and I'm like, 'What is happening right now?' You don't really see that, especially at this level. She's throwing so well and she's making these big improvements consistently. She just knows how to compete and she's been very receptive of all the coaching cues I've been giving her." 
 
Hilding is in a great spot as the Vaqueros do final preparations for the WAC Outdoor Championships, which kicks off Thursday in Orem, Utah. She'll head to the meet ranking third in shot put (14.80 meters) and discus (49.42m) and sitting fourth in the hammer throw (57.55m). She's aiming to bring home some hardware and score big for her team, while also making a push for the women's high point award. 
 
"I'm very excited for conference. I'm in a very good place right now physically and mentally, so I'm very ready," Hilding said. "The entire group, with how we performed at indoors and there were a lot of events not included, this one is going to be very interesting. We're going to do whatever it takes to win. It's going to be every person, especially for the women, we're going to be fighting for every point." 
 
Even as she delivers that firm and fiery message, the Stockholm, Sweden native does it with a smile. Because, as she reaches the end of her second collegiate season, Hilding has learned how important it is for her to keep things light while chasing her goals. 
 
"If you watch me and Lola do shot put at a meet, we're not serious at all. We're just laughing, making noises, having fun, and I think you need that," Hilding shared. "You have a lot of pressure as a Division I athlete. So, letting go of that pressure just a little bit and having fun makes a big change, and it worked out for me. 
 
"I mean, I have goals, everyone does. It's super good to have goals. But for me, I had this mindset of, 'I have to reach them,' that made me lose focus on enjoying the sport," she continued. "Lately I've been trying to focus on one throw at a time, not the one before or the one after and just doing things one throw at a time. It's not the end of the world if it's a bad throw. You'll have another attempt, another meet. Just have fun." 
 
Hilding and her fellow throwers balance being playful and working intensely very well. Words of encouragement, jokes, and constructive critiques fly through the air just as swiftly as the implements around the throws area. Though she's only a sophomore, Hilding is something of a veteran on the young event group featuring six freshmen and only one upperclassman. She's also a track & field team captain. 
 
Despite her leadership, Hilding said she feels "like one of the young ones" and hasn't noticed any major changes to her role. But others notice, and appreciate, the energy and standard she brings to the squad. 
 
"She's a team captain for a reason. Her passion for the sport, her willingness to learn as much as possible, being a tremendous student, everything she does is commendable," Degenshein said. "She takes charge, cheers people on. The energy she brings is really, really big and she feeds off other people's energy really well, too. She's a team player that knows how to capitalize on those little moments to help her progress." 
 
Things aren't always easy for Hilding. She admits that it's still a bit challenging to have all of her classes and all of her coaching in English and sometimes it's hard to get things to translate in a way she can really understand. But she appreciates the routine and structure of being a student-athlete at UTRGV and has grown to feel at home here. 
 
Athletically, though she has a solid technical background, Hilding and Degenshein have been working on "hammering home the fundamentals" throughout the year. They've focused her training on getting more separation between her upper and lower body to create more torque for her throws. Degenshein called Hilding a speed thrower, and as they've started pushing speed and marrying that to her technique, they've seen the marks grow and expect them to continue getting bigger. 
 
Hilding's work ethic is admirable. She lifts heavy, she practices and competes in more events than any other UTRGV thrower, she takes detailed notes after her training sessions to look back on. Her effervescent demeanor is contagious. She guides and advises and motivates her teammates and has become the heart of a fun and flourishing event group. 
 
"She continues to impress me and wow me as a coach," Degenshein said. "I'm genuinely very, very proud of everything she's been able to accomplish." 

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