Austin senior Madison Overby made school history when she became the first female Packer runner to compete in six state cross country meets in a high school career this past fall. On Wednesday she accomplished another rare feat for Austin runners when she committed to compete at a Division I school.

Overby signed her national letter-of-intent to run track and cross country at Division I University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D. with an athletic scholarship in Austin High School Wednesday. Overby is the first female Austin track and field athlete to move on to the Division I level in at least a decade and it’s been one of her goals for quite some time now.

“When I was in seventh grade and just starting varsity this was obviously a dream of mine to run DI cross country and track,” Overby said. “It’s super exciting and to get a scholarship just adds to the excitement. I’m pumped.”

While Overby’s six straight state appearances in cross country are well known, it’s not as well known that she’s had to battle various injuries over the past four years and she’s also logged in approximately 6,000 miles of running throughout the last six years to get to where she is today. Overby has had her chances to call it quits or slow down her pace, but she wasn’t about to give up.

“It definitely takes determination and it’s frustrating when you have set backs with injuries. You have to stay focused on the future and you have to grow,” Overby said. “I always have goals set. When I’m feeling lazy and I just want to go watch TV I like to get my run done first and get it it out of the way.”

Besides being a standout in running, Overby has also shined for the Austin Packer hockey team over the past few years as a forward. She said it’ll be tough to get away from the ice, but she plans on playing hockey this summer and she may play it again when she’s done with college.

“Hockey will definitely be hard to let go of,” Overby said. “Running has always been more serious and hockey has always been fun. I knew running was were I was going to go far in.”

Overby also drew interest from Ball State University and South Dakota State University, but she said UND felt like the right fit for her. She likes the fact that she can watch the UND men’s hockey team, which just wrapped up the NCAA title, and she also likes what the UND coaching staff offers.

“I think I just have to keep chugging on. It’s a little bit more intense and I’ll up my miles a little more this summer,” Overby said. “At UND they see a lot of improvements from seniors in high school to freshmen in college and I really like that.”

Overby has had some strong performances with the Packer track and field team, but she’s still hoping to get to her first state track and field meet this year. Overby trained harder this winter than she ever had before and she’s trying to get her 1600-meter run time below five minutes.

While getting out and running every day can be tiresome and require dedication, Overby has always embraced it. She also credits the people around her for helping her out.

“I’d like to thank my coaches. [Tony] Einertson and [Jen] Hilger have been incredible and there’s no way I’d be here without them. My teammates and family have been awesome for support too,” Overby said. “Anytime anything’s bothering me I can just hop outside and throw on my running shoes. I love running.”