Zoë Adams is a sprinter for the UTRGV Women’s Track & Field Team. Adams is from Marietta, Georgia, and is a junior pursuing a bachelor’s in biology and a minor in biochemistry. She holds a personal best of 8.04 seconds in the 60-meter dash, 12.58 in the 100-meter dash, 24.55 in the 200-meter dash, 54.41 in the 400-meter dash and 2:24.96 in the 800-meter run.
Q: What do you do for fun outside of track and field?
A: “I like to read mystery books. I like to try new foods, try new places, restaurants and stuff.”
Q: What kind of music do you like?
A: “My favorite rapper is Gunna, so I would say I like hip-hop music. Right now, the song that I’m listening to on replay is ‘Derek Fisher’ by Gunna.”
Q: What movies or shows do you like?
A: “I like reality shows, so this past break I was watching ‘Selling Sunset.’ It’s like a reality show and there’s, like, a lot of drama. And then my favorite movie would be ‘Coraline.’ I can watch that over and over again. I like scary stuff, so that’s why I like it.”
Q: What motivates you?
A: “I would say my parents and my brother. I want to make them proud. That’s what motivates me every day.”
Q: Would you want to keep playing or do something with your degree?
A: “Right now, I’m leaning toward going to physician assistant school, so that’s what I plan to do. I want my focus to be in dermatology.”
Q: What do you like about the Rio Grande Valley?
A: “I moved to the Valley in August 2023 and that’s the first time I’ve ever been to the Valley. Besides the summer portion, I like the weather. It’s never too cold. Like, in Georgia, it’s cold right now, like, 30 degrees. And then I like the tacos, really good.”
Q: Do you have a fun fact about yourself?
A: “I actually was supposed to come to school for softball. Not here … but at my original school that I came from. … I went there for softball and my coach … he moved. And I was like, ‘Hmm, let me see if I want to do track.’ Because I kind of fell out of love with softball. I did track in high school. I did the 400. I made it to state every year for the 400 that I ran. I kind of regret not sticking to track as my main sport. It was always fun. That’s something that I really loved about track and that’s why I made the switch to come do track. In softball, I was a second base or shortstop and I also played outfield, mainly center field.”
Q: What are some of your goals?
A: “Athletic goals, I would say, I would hope to run, like, a 52 [seconds] by the time I leave here, in the [400-meter dash].”
–Compiled by Jose Medina
Angel Ballesteros/THE RIDER
