Madison Hochstetter came late to the sport of track and field.

But that doesn’t mean the love she has for the sport isn’t strong. Quite the opposite, actually.

The Aberdeen Central senior grew up on the soccer fields, figuring she would do that for the rest of her high school career. She didn’t take to the track until middle school.

By the time she got to high school, that love was cemented.

“I really realized how much I liked track over soccer,” Hochstetter said. “I like all the challenges it gives you. … It’s very different for me to have started so late, but I fell in love with it very quickly. I’m glad I did.”

That love and desire to compete did not go unnoticed by Golden Eagles girls’ track and field coach Jim Appl.

“The one thing I appreciate about her more than anything,” Appl said,  “her sophomore year, two years ago, she got hurt in soccer. She tried to come back for track and came back late in April. She wanted to do everything right away. She wanted to high jump, wanted to hurdle, wanted to do everything.“

Appl, however, wanted to pump the brakes a bit on that plan. Not wanting to risk re-injury ahead of her junior season of soccer, he suggested Hochstetter focus solely on high jump. That, he figured, was her best chance of making the state meet.

That plan did not go over well with Hochstetter.

“She got so angry at me, it was awesome,” Appl said. “That was when I knew we had a competitor on our hands.”

Hochstetter entered this weekend as a state qualifier in three individual events – 100-meter hurdles, high jump and triple jump – and will run on one relay squad for the Golden Eagles. She tied for third in the high jump on Thursday.

One would be hard-pressed to find three more technical events to focus on, but Hochstetter said she enjoys the challenge.

“It’s definitely a lot of extra work at practice,” she said. “I’m definitely there a lot later than everyone else. Every single rep has to be the best because you don’t want to kill your legs.”

While that ability occasionally causes some friendly competition within the coaching ranks to see who gets her at her freshest during practice, it also speaks to her versatility.

That versatility will translate next season, as well, as Hochstetter will head to the University of Sioux Falls and join the Cougars’ multi-events squad.

It’s the extension of a career that began on the pitch and translated to the track, and one she’s really looking forward to.

“Track is more pressure,” she said. “A game in soccer is 90 minutes. It’s a long time; you have a cushion to not be stressed out. Track is quick. The races are quick, the jumps are quick. The pressure is really on.”

Plus, there’s the added pressure of learning a handful of new events.

“There’s a few of them I’ve never done,” Hochstetter said. “I’ve never thrown (shot put or javelin), and the 800 scares me a little bit. I’m very excited. I’m ready for the season to start and high school hasn’t even ended. It’s going to be fun.”