Bushland senior Jillian Howell named GOAT Scholar Athlete of the Week

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Powerful with a smile describes Bushland Senior Jillian Howell. The UIL 3A shot put defending State Champion already surpassed her school record mark throwing 42-feet 4.25-inches at Regionals. She uses track and field to better her skills on the diamond.

“Shot put teaches me how to use my legs when hitting and disc teaches me how to be graceful,” said Howell. “I bring it out onto the field whenever I play defense.”

Howell’s consistency at bat shows in her season stats totaling 12 home runs, 57 RBI with a .620 batting average. Plus, on the mound her season record is (11-2) while striking out 96 batters.

“Very reliable and we always know no matter what the day brings, no matter what happens before practice, Jill is going to be Jill,” said Jaycee Adams, Bushland senior.

She is also reliable in the classroom with a 3.5 GPA earning her a scholarship to play softball for Louisiana State University of Alexandria. She plans on studying Biology to become an Occupational Therapist.

Balancing school with both sports plus basketball in the winter has not been easy, but Howell says do it. During the spring season, at least three days a week include practice for both sports. She spends around 20 minutes at shot put and discus before going about an hour at softball.

“Do it. Yeah, I mean there’s all the time in the world,” said Howell. “Just enjoy it and do whatever you feel like you want to do.”

Congratulations to Jillian Howell on being named our FirstBank Southwest NewsChannel10 GOAT Scholar Athlete of the Week. To nominate a senior, go to https://www.newschannel10.com/sports/goat/.

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