South Pointe’s Olivia Paxton commits to run for her dad/coach at Winthrop

South Pointe rising senior runner Olivia Paxton committed to Winthrop last Friday. Paxton will be running for a familiar face, her dad/coach, Ben, who is in charge of the Eagles’ track and field and cross country programs.

“I started running in sixth grade and I’ve kind of always wanted to go to Winthrop,” Olivia said on Monday afternoon.

Paxton finished fourth in the state in the 3A 3,200 meter at the state meet in May. Her recruitment picked up this past year. She had narrowed down her choice to Lehigh, South Carolina and Winthrop, and chose the latter not just because of her dad, who tried to avoid swaying the decision, but also because she already felt like a part of the team.

Paxton’s older brother Gabriel already runs at Winthrop, and she knows a number of locals who have joined the Eagles in the last few years.

“Some of the girls I’ve run against in the past, like (Clover’s) Emily Sparrow, and Victoria Burdette was on my team,” said Paxton. “They really welcomed me in and treated me as if I was one of them, not some young high-schooler. I thought it would be much better going into a team where I knew people.”

Academics were crucial in the decision, too. Paxton wants to major in English and plans to get involved with Winthrop’s literary magazine, The Anthology.

Two Fort Mill girls’ soccer players commit

Fort Mill rising juniors Kimber Haley and Meredith Christopher have committed to college soccer programs over the summer. Haley will play for the Clemson Tigers, while Christopher will join Elon University in two years. The pair play together outside of high school ball with the Charlotte Soccer Academy.

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 2:56 PM with the headline "South Pointe’s Olivia Paxton commits to run for her dad/coach at Winthrop."