Seymour athlete enjoys outdoor sports

March 24, 2018

Trent Hohenstreiter played a lot of baseball during his early years in Seymour, but when he began having success in running, that became his favorite outdoor sport.

In cross-country, he has run on a conference championship team and a semistate qualifier four straight years, and in track he has competed on two sectional-winning teams and a regional qualifier in the 800, and on a relay.

He said the team bonding has been special in both sports as the cross-country team, and distance runners in track get together for pizza every Monday night during the season.

“I joined the cross-country team in sixth grade at the middle school, so I decided to run track with it, and ultimately I figured I liked running a little bit more than baseball,” he said.

He was a four-year varsity runner in cross-country and ran in the No. 2 position for the Owls most of the time last fall.

“I enjoyed the team atmosphere. I don’t think I could have done it without the team,” Hohenstreiter said. “Just running all those miles by myself I couldn’t imagine. It’s just having the team there with you to run every mile of the way and support you, knowing that we’re all wanting each-other to do well because if we do well then the team is going to do well. I just love the whole team atmosphere.”

The senior enjoyed the different courses he ran.

“I ran Brown County 16 times and I would say that probably would be my favorite,” Hohenstreiter said. “It’s the scenery and most of the time when we were running at Brown County there were a lot of teams there so there were a lot of people to race with, a lot of fans there to cheer you on. It was just a cool atmosphere. My best time was 17:21, and it was my last race at Brown County.”

He said each of his four semistate races he ran in different weather, from cool and rainy to 80 degrees.

In track, Hohenstreiter enjoys the 800 and running in the 4×800 relay.

He changed from the 3,200 as a freshman to the 1,600 as a sophomore, to the 800 last year and will run that event this spring, and said he may run a 400 or 1,600 in some meets.

He said his fastest open 800 is 2:04, and his favorite away track is Madison.

He said the start in the 800 is vital so you don’t get boxed in, and in the post-season, “those races are going to start out fast. The sectional starts out fast because everybody wants to get to the regional. People are going to give it all they’ve got, so you’re going to need to get out fast to stand a chance in the race.”

Hohenstreiter likes the variety of events in track.

“In track there is so much to choose from, so I try to encourage some of my friends that aren’t doing a (spring) sport, some of the swimmers I talked into coming out for track,” Hohenstreiter said. “It’s just a fun time. The goal is to make it to state in the open 800.”

Hohenstreiter swam for the Owls the past two seasons.

The swim team practices three days a week beginning at 6 a.m., and admits he isn’t a morning person.

“It was definitely a different experience,” Hohenstreiter said. “It was a good experience. It taught me a lot. (Swimming) made me feel stronger. Last year I put on about 10 pounds during swim season. I don’t think much of that was fat. It made me stronger because I was working muscles that I hadn’t ever worked before.

“I wanted to work on my strokes and I wanted to have fun with it. It’s a tough sport especially to pick up as a junior it was not easy and some of the time it was not fun, but I knew it was good for me. It gave me a different mentality. It strengthened me mentally in the water and strengthened me physically. I knew it was better for my running.”

He tried different events the past two years and this season mainly swam the 200 and 500 freestyles, and the 200 and 400 free relays.

He said it is important to practice hard and to keep a positive outlook at all times.

“Practice is where you build the relationships with the team,” Hohenstreiter said. “It’s where you get strong and it shows you what you’re capable of. You build that strong camaraderie with the team, then you’re going to want to do well in the race, and you’re going to do well if you’re preparing yourself well.

“It’s tough to be mentally tough. Some people get it naturally, but there are some who have to train for it: Like finishing through the lines and not stopping short. Just the little things that can make you more mentally strong will help. It takes a lot of mental because there is so much in you that wants to give in, when it gets tough, but your body is capable of more than your body wants to think, so it’s overcoming that and pushing through.”

Hohenstreiter said he has enjoyed being a student at Seymour.

“It’s been amazing” Hohenstreiter said. “The facility here is amazing. They’re great working with the students. They’re always there to push you to your best. I’ve had a great experience here with all my teachers with all the opportunities this place offers a lot.

“I’m going to remember Coach (Randy) Fife. He’s been hands down one of the best mentors I’ve ever had. He’s pushed me to be the best I can be. He’s a great coach, a great guy to look up to for not only me but for all the teams. I’m very grateful for all the teams I’ve been on, for cross-country, for track, for swimming. It’s been a fun time building relationships. It’s a different relationship every year.”

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Name: Trent Hohenstreiter

School: Seymour High School

Parents: Dwayne and Kathy Hohenstreiter

Sibling: Trey

Sports: track and field 4 years, cross-country 4 years, swimming 2 years

Athletic highlights: CC-2015 HHC champions, 4-time semi-state qualifier, 2-time academic all-state track- 2-time sectional champions, 2-time regional qualifier, 4×800 relay and 800 regional qualifier, academic all-state

Organizations: National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, student government, dance marathon, chess club

Plans after high school: attend university of Indianapolis major in mathematics, minor in physics, run cross-country and track

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