MISSOULA — Alix Mund has a future awaiting her at the college level in track and field, as the senior jumper at Missoula Hellgate is bound for Boise State next fall.
It realizes a dream for Mund, one she began working toward in middle school.
"I kind of thought that track was going to be something special, right about my eighth-grade year," Mund said. "And I started getting better at it. And, I always just really had a love for track and especially jumping, like, I was never nervous for it. I was never dreading it. It was always something that I felt like it was almost like a reward. So I was like, I want to do that in college. So it continues to be fun.
"I loved their team dynamic. They have a pretty small team and it's pretty female-oriented, which I kind of liked. But you know, the town of Boise just feels like a bigger Missoula so I had that home aspect of that too. But I really enjoyed their coaching staff and all the teammates that I met so I kind of knew that that was kind of where I wanted to be after I left."
And it didn't come without hard work.
After an all-state year as a freshman where she placed sixth at state in the triple jump, Mund, who competes in club track and field with Mountain West Track and Field, dealt with left ankle injuries as a sophomore that hindered her jumping ability.
So last year as a junior was about getting back to form in her events.
"It was just really disappointing to see the marks not coming in and my body not feeling well. So I knew that coming into my junior year, I had to hit it hard if I wanted to have those college numbers to put up. So I spent a lot of time with my PT and rehabbing," Mund said.
"I was just really emphasizing growth over good marks, like I wanted it to feel good. And so all of my junior year, I was really trying to move forward and progress. And it just it felt like everything was like coming together. All my hard work that I put in for the last year to be able to jump again was all worth it."
That work paid off as Mund went 37 feet, 3½ inches in the triple jump at state last year, which placed her third, broke the Hellgate school record and solidified her recovery.
"You are more than your marks," she said. "So I do remind myself that, you know, valuing the hard work that comes to those big marks is going to be worth it, it is going to pay off because sophomore year I kind of got in the mindset of, well, if I can't jump then what can I do? It was it was just a huge mental game for me. And just being able to put the marks aside and focus on what can I do to feel better? What can I do to be better? And then the marks will come.
"I had thought about that moment so many times over in my head just trying to manifest it. And I wasn't having a great day coming into the triple and I was scratching a few and then I just kind of told myself at the end this is it, you have to hit this jump. And I did and I was waiting over with my coaches at the fence. And I finally saw that 37-3 mark come up and everything was worth at the moment. I was hugging my coaches and my family and it was just so special to see everything come together."
Soon after came her commitment to Boise State, and with Mund now wrapping up her senior year for the Knights, she's aiming for one more big splash before realizing her dream and representing Missoula at the Division I level next year and beyond.
It's been a big senior year for Mund who was a big part of Hellgate's girls soccer and basketball programs that advanced to state title games this year. Now she's looking to add to that success in her sport of the future with the state meets rapidly approaching.
"It was a little nonchalant when I kind of decided," she said with a laugh about Boise State. "My parents and I were all sitting around the couch and I was like, so I guess I want to decide Boise State, and so we were really happy about it but it had kind of been like a long time coming.
"We knew that this is a dream of mine so to kind of see it, have signing day with all my best friends and stuff and be able to really put pen to paper about it was really exciting for me."
