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Western Illinois University Athletics

Riley Madix
Sarah Ritter

A Chance Encounter

Everything happens for a reason.

Riley Madix may not have aspired to be an NCAA Division I student-athlete, but she is one now.
 
Run.
 
A few years ago, the goal was simple -- keep pace with her father, stride for stride. The Madix Family could run for miles, with no particular destination in mind, and the time together sparked Riley's love for the sport, molding her into a long-distance runner. It wasn't long before she joined her middle school cross country and track teams, which quickly transitioned into a successful high school career; but after graduation, she found herself at an impasse. Competing at the Division II or III levels was an option, but running didn't carry as much joy as it once did. It wasn't her "thing" anymore, and she no longer looked forward to competing. 
 
Run?
 
Fast forward a few years, and Riley is currently in the midst of her junior year at Western Illinois University. She is a psychology major with a minor in marketing -hoping to follow her father's footsteps with a career in sales -- and the fire has returned to her eyes. 
 
She's running again. After a brief hiatus from the sport, Riley created a running club at WIU, and a chance encounter inside the campus recreation center led to an invite to join the University's cross country and track programs. 
 
"I was just running around the track and some random dude stopped me from my workout. He was timing me as I was running my laps, which was nice, and we meet up for coffee a couple of days later," she said.
 
That "random dude" was Brandon Hazouri, the Leathernecks' newly-hired head coach. 
 
"Once somebody approached me and told me I could do this, like, 'Oh, you could be Division I.' I talked to my dad about it, and he said, 'I think you should give it a shot.' It just sparked back up my passion."
 
Riley officially joined the team in February of 2020, just before the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. She hasn't yet run a race with Western Illinois on her bib, but the transition and preparation have been going well. 
 
"When I first joined, I was running and keeping up with [the team], and I didn't think I'd be able to do that at first … Always follow your heart. That's what I learned to do with this sport, especially because I didn't think it was meant to be in my life. Everything happens for a reason."
 
Run!
 
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