Minke Engelbrecht '23 Recruiting Profile

My name is Minke (Pronounced Mienk-kih)

I’m a South African scholar attending Paarl Gimnasium High School.

I am 17 years old and in grade 11. I am a hurdle athlete competing in the 100m hurdles , as well as 100m and 200m sprints.I also love to compete in the 4x100m relay and as the fastest,I always run the last stretch.

I would love to continue my athletics journey and tertiary studies in the USA. I will be available for the 2023/2024 season and would be glad to be part of the full intake.

I began hurdles in 2014 and represented my province (Western Cape) from 2016 to 2018 in nationals (South African Schools Athletics championship). I am part of my school’s interhouse (Prestige) team from 2018 to present. In 2018 I received the Prestige best junior track and field athlete award. In 2019 I was part of my school’s athletics first team,where we competed at Tuks Top 10 and I ended overall 6^th. I am part of the Boland (regional) team from 2018 to present. No official championships were held in 2020,because of Covid 19. I competed again in 2021 and represented my region at Boland Athletics and ended my season with a personal best of 14.78 on the 100m hurdles.

I am a dedicated learner and serve as a leader on Paarl Gimnasium High School’s student council as well as my hostel’s (Huis McFarlene) house committee.

I also love the arts. I was a ballerina for 9 years, played cello and piano for 5 years and presently, I attend  drama acting workshops and am part of a cast for a upcoming South African short film.

Academically I am a hard worker with an overall average of 83%.

I am a committed Christian and religion plays a huge roll in my life.

Team work is very important to me, because I truly believe “many hands make light work”.

Growing up as a countryside kid and being in a big school with a lot of competition and the adaption of boarding school, I've developed a strong mentality on the track, as well as in life. I always give my best and work hard to reach my full potential of the talents God gave me.