The room instantly lights up when Oak Hill standout Eden Gilkey makes an appearance.
“Eden is a very, very outgoing young lady. She is fun to be around and she bring a lot of energy to this team that others don’t,” Oak Hill track coach Matt Sydnor said. “When kids are down, Eden is good at bringing them back up. She is very caring girl too.”
While there is no missing Gilkey’s outgoing personality, it will be her running ability that takes her to the next level.
After being a key member of the soccer, basketball and cross country teams over her career, Gilkey signed a National Letter of Intent Thursday to run track and field at West Virginia Wesleyan.
“It was really exciting because I have always wanted to do this. I have seen my friends going to schools and I couldn’t wait for me to sign,” Gilkey said. “I thought it would be soccer, but it was meant to be track. It’s too much to handle, but I love it and I am excited.”
Although running was not her first choice in regards to competing at the next level, as she approached her senior season, Gilkey had a change of heart.
“I think she had an awakening her senior year and realized that she is talented and can go somewhere in this sport,” Sydnor said. “I think once she got a hold of that reality, she has really busted her hind end in practice this year. She has placed in almost every meet this year.”
Currently Gilkey runs the 400-meter and 800-meter runs, along with being a member of the 4×400-meter and 4×800-meter relay teams for the Red Devils.
“I think the way I have been pushing myself and motivating myself in all these sports will help me push myself to be really good at track and field. I want to see how far I can get,” Gilkey said.
At Wesleyan, she says she is willing to step in wherever she is needed.
“I will run the 400 and 800 so far, so it will be a little bit of sprinting and middle distance,” Gilkey said. “I possibly may be running cross-country as well. We will see where my journey (goes) because I am willing to run anything at this point.”
Choosing Wesleyan was not a difficult decision for Gilkey.
“The campus was nice and it just fit with my marketing major and stuff like that,” Gilkey said. “They have a really good marketing program. I am looking forward to that for sure.
Gilkey will also join teammate Samiah Lynch who signed earlier this year to play basketball for the Bobcats.
“She is one of my close friends, so it is going to be awesome,” Gilkey said. “We are going to have fun together.”
