Complete silence. No one can talk over the intense anticipation suffocating the air. BANG. The sound of the starting pistol fires and all that Hicks is focused on is what’s directly in front of him. No distractions. No fear. Just him, the track, and the other competitors.
Tonavilla Hicks ’25, known as Tony to the SCH community, is a Wisconsin track commit as well as the number one sixty-meter hurdler in the nation. He was one of the most sought out recruits in the sport. His most notable offers included Pitt, Kansas ST., Syracuse, Iowa, Uconn, and Wisconsin to name a few. He credits his success to his family support, humble attitude, and the religious beliefs instilled in him at a young age.
“I think it’d be my family just pushing me to be better. My coach always believes in me, and most importantly, I think it’s God. Whenever I get onto the track, I always put my trust in God and he guides me where I need to go. And as a kid growing up, I always went to church, and that just carried on to me getting older and older,” said Hicks.
Tony believes his religion has made him a better athlete and a better man. “For me, I try to pray every day. Just give God, like show him that I’m here, show him that I trust in Him. And if you just put all your trust in God, I just feel like you get everything that comes to you. But it also is going to take time. It doesn’t come just like this” stated Hicks.
Hicks serves as a mentor and an inspiration for younger students, both at SCH and in his community. He recognizes the impact he has and the responsibilities tied to that influence. In our interview, he talked about the significance of remaining humble and continuously working towards becoming the best version of oneself. Hicks’s upbringing looked different when compared to a stereotypical two-parent household. He grew up in a single-parent household with a tight-knit family surrounding him.
“I think it just shaped me as a person because it just allowed me to realize that not everyone is in the same position as me … I just worked harder and harder. Just say, I’m on my path,” Hicks said.
One of Hicks’s oldest friends Syracuse recruit Julian McFadden ‘25 shares Tony’s determination and deep faith in God. “I feel like religion affects both of us a lot. I feel like it goes into a lot of what we do and just having faith in ourselves and also having faith in God that he will allow us to get to the place that we need to get,” said McFadden. He added, “Something that he instilled in me was just to be hard working. You never give up, because there’s only gonna be someone trying to work harder than you so you always need to work harder.”
Although many top athletes can be consumed by the hype and the media, Tony chooses to stay grounded and humble. “I’m committed to a division one school, one of the top schools, but I don’t want to shove it in people’s faces, because some people are trying to be in the same path as me, and maybe they can’t do that. So right now, I just say stay humble, not to flex too much, of course, like celebrate my accomplishments, but just not showing up, feels, voices, and stuff. So being humble,” said Hicks.
Seeing his mom go to such lengths to provide a great life for her son motivated Hicks to work harder than ever to repay his family for everything they have sacrificed for him. Hicks’s narrative goes beyond mere athletic success; it embodies resilience, faith, and the affection of a closely-knit family. Raised in a single-parent environment, Tony’s childhood was anything but typical, yet it was these circumstances that forged his character. With his mother as his main support, he grasped early on the value of diligence, sacrifice, and modesty.
“She was a single parent, so she had to push harder and harder and do anything she could to try and help me. And I just feel like she put me in front of herself” Tony concluded.
