TIGERVILLE, S.C. – Unbelievable. Incredible. Inconceivable. Unprecedented.

The superlatives flowed endlessly at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach, S.C. April 24-26.  A crowd of spectators and participants at the 2025 Conference Carolinas Track & Field Championships clearly weren’t sure if they witnessed reality or an optical illusion.

So, what exactly happened to cause such a stir?  Two words: Hannah Hill.

In a performance for the ages, Hill competed in an unworldly 13 events for North Greenville University and scored a conference-record 45.5 points in the meet–a point total that alone would have ranked her in sixth place among the 14-school field.

Over the three days, the Simpsonville, South Carolina senior won the heptathlon, 400 meters and javelin, finished second in the 200 meters, placed third in the long jump and anchored the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams that both finished sixth.
“It's hard for me to even put into words,” admitted Trailblazers’ Head Track and Field Coach Cameron Stober. “I’ve never seen this happen at a college meet.  On a college level, it’s almost unheard of. I’ve had several coaches and meet directors say the same thing, that they never witnessed that.”

One of those long-time observers is Jeff Jacobs, Track & Field Program Manager for the City of Myrtle Beach and the meet director.

“I would estimate I have been to around 50 Indoor or Outdoor Track & Field Championships as an athlete, coach, public address announcer and meet director.  This is probably the best individual performance I’ve ever seen.”

Hill, currently ranked sixth in the NCAA Division II heptathlon, set a conference record in the 800 meters (2.18.80) as well as North Greenville marks in the 110-meter high hurdles (14.80), long jump (19-05), javelin (135-06) and the 200 meters (23.84) and registered seven personal bests during her ironwoman performance.
In leading NGU to its highest finish (second place) in school history, Hill was named the Conference Carolinas Female Outdoor Field Athlete of the Meet and days later learned that she also earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s National Athlete of the Week honors.

For Hill, she is still recovering both physically and emotionally from a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I couldn’t believe it was all real,” she shared. “When I got home, I just thanked God.  The next day (Sunday), I could barely get out of bed.”

While her parents and other family were in attendance, Hannah chose to accompany her teammates on the five-hour bus ride back to campus to celebrate their historic second-place showing at the meet.

“I wanted to experience the last bus ride with my team,” she said.  “We had the trophy and there was a lot of laughing and smiling on the way back.  We got Chick-fil-A for dinner.  We didn’t get back to campus until around 11 p.m., so I just called my family and then fell asleep in my dorm room.”

After a home-cooked meal on Sunday at her parents’ house in Simpsonville–a 45-minute drive from campus–Hill did afford herself one celebratory moment upon her return to school.  Alone, she stopped by the NGU cafeteria for her favorite dessert.

“I had three ice creams!” she said proudly about her guilty pleasure.  “Vanilla soft serve is my favorite.   I usually don’t let myself have any dairy because it slows me down (on the track).  But after eating the first one, I decided to get another one.  Then when I was leaving to go back to the dorm, I got another one!”

But her night was hardly over.   Once back in her room, Hill began preparing for an important graduate school interview the next day with officials from Virginia Tech’s Via Edward College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Oh, we didn’t mention that this multi-event athlete is also graduated last week with the most rigorous major (biology) that North Greenville University has to offer?
As though her legend needs to grow further, Hannah has posted a 3.5 GPA during her four years at NGU and has served an internship at Southern Eye Associates in Greenville.

“I’ve been a technician the past year, bringing in patients, running tests, doing glass prescriptions and measuring eye pressure,” she said.  “Besides interning during the school year, I also work during winter and summer breaks.”

Due to a case of bad acne while growing up, Hill saw a dermatologist and became fascinated by the medical profession.  She arrived at NGU with thoughts of becoming a doctor.  But once she began her internship at an eye clinic, she pivoted to osteopathic medicine.

“As soon as I started working there, I fell in love with the eyes.  What really impressed me was that you can see any health condition through the eyes, like diabetes or high blood pressure.”

Besides Virginia Tech, Hill has applied to graduate medical schools at University of South Carolina (Columbia), Greenville Medical School and the Medical School of South Carolina in Charleston.  Her goal is to obtain a doctorate degree in four years and then apply for a residency working in ophthalmology.

After last week’s epic effort in Myrtle Beach, however, Hill is understandably reevaluating her future plans.  She is considering delaying her medical studies for one year while she pursues her pentathlon dreams at a higher level.

“I have thought about it a lot,” Hannah confided. “I love the challenge of picking up new things and I keep surprising myself.  I’ve always played multiple sports and used different muscles.  The heptathlon is my favorite thing to do.  I’ve had so much fun during the entire time.  I think if I really work hard I can compete on the next level.”

Besides the NCAA Division II Championships next month, Hill has her eyes set on the U.S. Track & Field Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon July 31 through Aug. 3.  She scored 5,290 points in the heptathlon at the conference meet last weekend and needs to improve to 5,500 to qualify for the USATF Championships.

“If I put my mind to it, I think I can get there,” said Hill, who competed in both tennis and track during her first two years at North Greenville.  “I would like to try it for a year.  I know I can improve in the shot put, hurdles and 800.

“Right now, I’m trying to learn how to go professional. I need to find a sponsor, that will be the hardest.  You're kind of on your own.  But I have a lot of people in my corner.”

Most medical schools begin classes in July.  Hannah recognizes the commitment she will have to make in either graduate studies or the heptathlon. 

“Medical school goes all day, so you have to be all in,” she said. “The same goes for track and field.  I will always be all in because I really want to compete well.  I’ve been in sports my entire life, so it’s hard for me not to be competing.  I’m going to give track a year to make it professionally. I still have a little bit of fight left in me.”

There is an ironic twist to Hill’s story, as Conference Carolinas only introduced the heptathlon this season.

“This is the first year for the event in the conference,” said Coach Stober. “They staged the seven events over a two-day span, the 110 hurdles, shot put and 200 meters the first day, then the javelin, high jump, long jump and 800 meters the next.”

As one might imagine, Hill was required to add substantially extra practice time to properly prepare for the grueling new event.

“Starting in February, I definitely increased the time on the track,” she said. Monday was an hour-and-a-half on the high jump, another hour throwing the javelin and then another hour-and-a-half running. That was my longest day.  Then Tuesday was for speed and endurance training.  Wednesday was a recovery day, including a mile jog and other events like the shot put and long jump.  Thursday was always my hurdle day. And if we didn’t have a meet that week, Friday was more speed, endurance and the javelin.”

Whew. And that doesn’t even account for her rigorous academic load.

“This semester wasn’t too bad,” she confided.  As a senior, I only took nine hours because I had fulfilled most of my graduation requirements.  My professors have always tried to help me by giving me extra work or study time.”

Part of her routine, she said, was doing her academic work at the school’s library every night.

“There were some nights when I just wanted to sit on my bed and watch a TV show,” she admitted.  “But then I would reflect on what I wanted to accomplish and knew I needed to put in the work.  Also, completing my med school applications took the most time!”
But, contrary to her resume, Hannah is only human.  So occasionally, she will take “a mental day” and, indeed, sprawl out on her bed and watch a favorite TV program.

Right now, her go-to show is “The Last of Us,” the much talked-about HBO series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

Prior to the conference meet, Hill had only competed in the heptathlon twice during the regular season. 

“We had a multi-school meet at UNC Charlotte which included a lot of Division I schools and she beat all of them,” said Stober.  “After that meet, she was ranked No. 1 in the country in Division II.  Then we had a meet at Anderson University where she improved her mark.”

Yet, nothing could truly prepare her for the three-day, 13-event physical ordeal of the Conference Carolinas Championships she endured–and thrived–last weekend.

“Before Day Two, I felt so tired before the 400 prelims,” Hill revealed. “And the third day, my body was so tired.  But seeing the faces of my teammates, knowing that we wanted to finish second as a team. It gave me such adrenaline.  That final 4x400 relay, I got the baton and passed three runners and had the best split time of my career.”  

As the heptathlon unfolded, Hill began to realize something very special was happening.  She could feel the momentum.

“I really could.  It was mind blowing.  I had my first four events 15 minutes after the prelims for the 200.  I knew I wasn’t going to have much recovery time.  But I found that grit inside.  As the days went on, I couldn’t really comprehend what was happening.”
Coach Stober, though well aware of the toll her body would absorb, knew that Hill could handle the 13 events in three days.

“I just emphasized that she got fueled with electrolytes and fluid.  It was a lot for her but she handled it very well. She wasn't surprised that we asked her to do a lot.  She's the type of person who wants to help if she can.  She’s an incredible person, such a hard worker and devoted to being the best.  And to think she also chose the hardest major on campus.  She’s the total package.”

While he oversees the operation, Stober made sure to heap praise on his two assistants who primarily coached Hill.

“Coach (Jarvis) Robinson coached her in the sprints, hurdles and jumps and.  Bob Kouvolo helped her in the throwing events.  They both did a phenomenal job.”

While being the conference runner-up may not sound monumental, for North Greenville it was almost like winning the lottery.  The school had never finished even third or fourth in the conference, let alone second.  And newly crowned Mount Olive was truly the unreachable star, winning its 11th consecutive conference women’s track and field title.

As her graduation and next life chapter approaches, Hannah is looking back at her incredible NGU journey with gratitude and a bit of sadness.

“I try to sit and reflect and just be grateful for how far I have come,” she said, shaking her head. As a freshman, if you told me I would have done this and gone to nationals, I never would have believed you.  That 18-year-old would be so happy.  But it is really bittersweet because I’m going to miss this place and all my teammates. When the 4x400 ended the meet, I was sobbing.  I just didn’t want it to end.”
She will always have the memories, though.  Hill, who minored in English, keeps a personal journal to capture them.

“I write down all my thoughts because I really don’t want to forget them,” said Hannah, who also writes poetry. “I want to remember all the people around me, even my competitors in the heptathlon.  We rooted for each other and I became friends with all of them.”

She also remembers one particular entry in her journal that was written the night before the Conference Carolinas meet.  It simply said, “I will win.”

And that she did.  But for Coach Stober, he now must face the daunting task of trying to replace an athlete who reached almost legendary status this year.

“You don’t,” he flatly stated.  “She’s a once-in-a-generation talent.”

Bob Rose is a longtime sports public relations executive who has worked for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, the NFL Cardinals, Cal, Stanford and other organizations. Bob works with the Conference Carolinas office to help tell the stories of the tremendous student-athletes, coaches and administrators in Conference Carolinas.

Pictures taken by Lara Zuk.