Caden Ashmore '24 Recruiting Profile

I have played sports since I was five, including baseball, several years of town and club soccer, volleyball, and captain of varsity track and field. These sports, other outdoor activities, and regular gym time have all contributed to my athleticism.

I first became interested in high jump during middle school’s track and field club, where high jump was my favorite event. In freshman year, I joined the varsity track and field team, where I got to try high jump for real, and my success made me enjoy it even more. I work hard for constant improvement in everything I do, including lots of out-of-season training. I have competed at the state level for three years, placed at various state and regional competitions, and won awards including most improved, league all-star, and toughest athlete.

My favorite part of track and field is the team’s diversity, especially compared to other school sports. All four years are together, there is more integration between men and women, and the range of events attracts a variety of people. Before joining the team, I thought track and field was more of an independent sport than my soccer teams, but it is actually a very connected community. Between events and during training, there is lots of time to support and collaborate with others on warm-up routines, skill development, plyometrics, mental strategies, and team activities. Within this larger team, we have a very close group of high jumpers who work together to improve individually and get the best out of each other throughout the year. I also like to play volleyball for cross-training, and when volleyball options were limited, I took the opportunity to create a charity volleyball team and ran mini-league meets at home with my friends. These collaborative aspects exist in my STEM academics outside of athletics, where I founded a science and engineering club to help other students prepare for the science fair, a club I wish I had myself in freshman year.

My STEM education is incredibly important to me, where the same focus, discipline, and desire to improve has allowed me to compete in international-level competitions and win multiple state-level awards, including the National Geographic Top Innovator and the National Grid Engineering Excellence Award. For my senior year of high school, I am dual-enrolled in the first year of an engineering degree at my local community college, taking all college-level classes to enhance and focus my education. I intend to continue this path through a solid collegiate engineering program.

I am looking forward to the challenge and joy of collegiate athletics. I will thrive when surrounded by like-minded students and expert coaches. I work hard with my teammates to leave a mark on my school and will continue to do so at college.