The moment she saw her own name on the list she wanted to cry. For her, it was a different feeling than winning a gold medal. Junior Eva Houston was awarded as a 2017 Track and Field High School All-American by the U.S. Paralympics, along with 70 other high school students from across the nation. This award put Houston on a list with some of the fastest racers in the nation.

“I think it was a complete shock,” Houston said. “I kept saying that this was a joke and it can’t be real, they made a mistake.”

Houston began racing as a freshman and last year was Houston’s first competitive year on the track. She said that last year she found out she had what it would take to be an athlete at the next level. Houston found it so surreal that she had won this award after just two years of being a part of this sport. Seeing her name next to some of the top racers in her classification made Houston feel even more honored.

“When I first saw it [the list] I didn’t even think that I could possibly be on the list because I haven’t been doing this long enough for me to think I deserve this yet, so it was definitely a surprise,” Houston said.

Last year, Houston got the chance to practice with past Nebraskan Paralympic athlete, Cheri Madsen. When they were practicing together, Madsen told Houston that she had qualifying times for the upcoming Junior Paralympic meets. Little did Houston know, this would open doors for many opportunities. Houston then spent May of 2017 attending meets to get qualified for the Paralympic meet in Los Angeles that summer.

After getting qualified, Houston said that competing in Los Angeles was something completely new for her. She said that L.A. was a good experience for her because she had the chance to talk to some of the best racers in the country. Houston said she was devastated after not making the Junior Paralympics team, and she felt like it had been a waste of her time. She then realized that it had showed her how much more she would have to work to improve. Houston said this motivated her during her crazy summer training. She said her coach, Jon Preister, pushed her harder than she had ever pushed herself.

“There’s no task or obstacle in her path,” Preister said. “She’s one that can set goals and she kind of just knows what she wants to do.”

Preister has been coaching for 16 years and this will be his third year coaching Houston. As they stepped up the summer training he said it was a testament to Houston’s determination. He said Houston’s work ethic is one of the best he has seen in his 16 years of coaching.

“Her work ethic tends to rub off on the other girls,” Preister said. “A lot of those girls see her and she has become kind of a role model for them. So it’s been kind of neat to see that kind of aspect to it.”

Preister said that he was so happy and proud that Houston had won this award. However, he wasn’t surprised because of the success that Houston had had throughout the season. The surprise itself was that the U.S. Paralympics was even giving out this award. Preister said that he knew that if they did something like this, Houston would be chosen. He believes Houston hasn’t even scratched the surface of what she can do in this sport and he’s excited to see what she will be able to do this spring.

Throughout this past year, Houston and her family faced challenges with fighting for the right for disabled racers to compete at State. Houston said that she just wants to open up the playing field for players behind her. This award, however, validated that people had recognized her work throughout the season as she competed in this sport, taking down many obstacles along the way.

“I just want to make everyone proud,” Houston said. “I want to make my coaches proud and my parents proud and I want to make myself proud. So being recognized makes the experience that much better.