A change of major and a familiar face led Beth Schledorn Hicks '99 to Averett University. The rest, as they say, is history.
 
Hicks was enrolled in Chowan University for two years when she decided she wanted to switch majors. Undecided on what she wanted to study, the Danville native turned her eyes to her hometown university — Averett — and found her friend and high school cross country coach, Jimmy Mann, was the women's cross country assistant coach for the Cougars.
 
It was all she needed to hear.
 
"I was on board after that," Hicks said. "I said to myself, 'I'm going to Averett and I'm running for Jimmy.'"
 
She made the switch that fall, no longer finding herself a Chowan Brave but instead an Averett Cougar. It was a move that paid off for both parties.
 
Hicks is the most decorated member of Averett's women's cross country team, earning USA South Conference Runner of the Year in 1997 and 1998 and First Team All-Conference honors in each of her two seasons.
 
She also helped orchestrate the team's 1997 USA South Conference Championship run, a first for the program. Hicks also led the Cougars to a pair of NCAA Regional appearances during her two seasons, finishing in the top 50 individually both times. In 1998, her senior season, she placed 22nd at the South Regional.

For her contributions to the university, Hicks will be one of four members of the 2017 Averett Athletics Hall of Fame class on Saturday, Oct. 21, during Homecoming Weekend.
 
Not happy to just be the best on the course, Hicks also excelled in the classroom, taking every piece of extra work she could in efforts to maintain her grades.
 
She recalled a story from one of her art classes where the teacher assigned the students an optional take-home painting. Hicks was the only one in the class to complete the assignment even though she was the only non-art major in the course.
 
"The artsy kids in the class were giving me junk because they thought I was trying to make them look bad," Hicks said, laughing. "But I wasn't. I was always the type that completed every project on time and did the extra work so I could keep my grades up and run."
 
Sitting at her house, Hicks was shocked when she received a call from Director of Athletics Meg Stevens informing her of her induction.
 
"It was completely unexpected, but flattering at the same time," Hicks said. "I immediately started joking that I was going to ask for a crown or tiara during my induction speech."
 
Hicks' friends joined in on the ribbing as well, kidding their friend about adding another notch to her belt.
 
"A few of my running friends laughed at me," Hicks said. "They were like, 'Oh, another award for Beth' just because they are like that, but they were proud of me."
 
Finding balance in life takes on many different forms for people. Some find it through painting and playing music, while others through nature walks, yoga and meditation.
 
For Hicks, she finds balance through running and working out. And with all the different hats she wears, it's a good thing she's found her center.
 
With her husband, Alan, stationed in Bahrain with the Navy reserve, Hicks is charged with carrying out the busy schedules of her 6-year-old son, Landon, and 10-year-old daughter, Bailey. The Hicks' weekly itinerary involves trips to karate along with Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.
 
Hicks, currently a resident of Lexington, North Carolina, also serves as a part-time art teacher for the J. Smith Young YMCA's after-school program, is the director of the children's department at Bethesda United Methodist — a position she's held for the past two years — and serves as den mother for her daughter's Girl Scout troop.
 
But Hicks doesn't mind the hectic schedule because she knows she's helping her children learn balance, something she learned as a member of the women's cross country team.
 
"I had to juggle practice and homework at the same time so I definitely learned balance," Hicks said. "My kids are learning that as well. I'm trying to show them the importance of balance. Everything isn't that important. Some things are more important than others and you have to find out what's important to you and hopefully use that to impact others as you go."
 
However, even with all that on her plate, Hicks still finds time to meet up with her best friends for long-distance runs they've dubbed "Therapy Time."
 
"I love running. I have a passion for it. I feel like it's my 'me' time. I've got a lot going on and running and work out is my time to hang out with friends," Hicks said. "As a mother, I don't have a lot of time to hang out with my friends. We've got school, homework and a host of other activities to deal with so my running friends are my best friends. We hash it out running down the road for a few miles."
 
In fact, Hicks completed the Danville Half Marathon in October 2013 and since has trained for and completed two half-marathons each year. She also makes it a point to compete in at least one triathlon every year.
 
Running will always hold a special place in Hicks' heart. For her, it was an opportunity to open up and learn how to communicate with others.
 
"I was an extremely shy child growing up, but I had a physical education teacher that encouraged me to go out and join some running clubs, which I did," Hicks said. "When I started running, I became bolder and more confident in myself so running is how I became more confident in my abilities."