Huntington North High School senior Olivia Hartup made her college choice official during her signing ceremony on Monday afternoon, signing with Trine University to continue her academic and athletic careers with the Thunder acro and tumbling squad.
Taking an unconventional route to being a Huntington North graduate, Hartup did not become a Viking until her junior year, as her family had spent the previous nine years as missionaries in Mexico before returning to the United States.
Despite Hartup’s limited time at Huntington North, she quickly made an impact on her friends and team, as was evidenced by the turnout at her signing ceremony, which she was grateful for.
“It was just such a cool experience just to be in front of everybody, and for everyone just to be here and to show their support as well,” Hartup said.
During her two years at Huntington North, Hartup was a member of the gymnastics and track and field teams and cheer squad. Huntington North gymnastics head coach Mandy Barton praised Hartup for her demeanor both as an athlete and in life.
“Olivia brought a lot to our team,” Barton said. “I think her positivity and work ethic are just a few of her qualities that every coach looks for in an athlete. She not only excelled in gymnastics, cheer and track, but also in the classroom and her church. This is why we chose her as this year's Viking Integrity Award winner. I know that Olivia will excel in anything she puts her mind to. Trine is gaining an amazing young woman, student and athlete.”
Though joining the Lady Vikes’ gymnastics team as a junior and having her senior season cut short due to injury, Hartup still recorded a number of impressive scores, posting career-best marks of 8.9 on the vault, 8.425 on the bars, 9.375 on the beam, 9.25 on the floor and 35.725 in the all-around competition.
While Hartup considered other schools, such as Albion College, Indiana Wesleyan University and Manchester University, among others, she knew Trine was the right fit for her.
“It’s close to home, but a little far away, so I can escape (my family) if I want to,” Hartup said. “As soon as I walked on campus, I was like, ‘This is where I want to go.’”
Hartup plans to study pre-med at Trine with a goal of working as an orthopedic surgeon in the future.