Run your own race.
Emerson Hoyle’s favorite mantra comes from the film “Secretariat.” Four little words that sound almost too simple to carry much weight. And yet, they do. A mantra that has nothing to do with volleyball digs or a five-set thriller. And somehow, it does.
Hoyle, a redshirt senior on the Florida women’s volleyball team, didn’t suit up for a single game this past volleyball season. Ongoing neurological complications kept her on the sidelines for over nine months. For Hoyle, progress wasn’t measured in points or reps. Instead, she ran a quieter, far less measurable race — one guided by presence and trust in where her path was leading.
In spring 2025, Hoyle’s volleyball season, and her life, took a sharp turn off course. One day, she was sitting at the dining hall with her teammates when everything went black. Then, a burning sensation began in her right arm; it felt like electricity was shooting through it, she said.
In the weeks that followed, seizure-like symptoms and migraines became a constant. She lost sight temporarily in her right eye. Her right arm twitched uncontrollably. She could no longer play volleyball, and her daily life became filled with pain and uncertainty. What doctors said was supposed to be six to eight weeks stretched into nine, 10 and 11 months.
“It was really hard to swallow,” Hoyle said. She was doing everything her coaches, trainers and doctors asked of her, and yet her body still refused to cooperate.
Being injured as an athlete, particularly when it takes you away from practice and competition, is one of the most challenging tests you face. When something that structures nearly every hour of your day is suddenly removed, the absence is tangible everywhere. It’s felt in your routines, in your relationships and in your sense of identity — especially when there is no clear timeline back to playing. No visible finish line.
I know the feeling well. A few years ago, an injury sidelined me from tennis for more than six months with no definitive return date. I still went to practice, just without a racket in my hand. I watched my teammates compete from the sidelines — a quiet kind of isolation.
For Hoyle, the work toward recovery began with presence and trust in God's plan for her.
She anchored herself to her parents and brother, whom she calls her best friends, and leaned deeply into her faith. Throughout her recovery, her faith became a guiding force, helping Hoyle navigate the dark voids of uncertainty and selfishness.
“Just leaning on God and letting him do his journey and his plan for me has been everything and more,” she said.
Slowly, the anger gave way to a new way of measuring progress. Running her own race meant releasing timelines, comparisons and control, and instead leaning into her faith, trusting that her path — even when unclear — was still purposeful.
“It was easily the hardest year of my life but also the most rewarding,” she said. “It makes me smile, just knowing how far I've come.”
In no way did Hoyle let her circumstances deter her presence in the volleyball arena. Looking at the game stat sheet, her name wouldn’t appear. But if you looked at the huddle of players at the back corner of the court during a game, you couldn’t miss her.
With her signature, perfectly slicked-back bun, Hoyle cheered relentlessly all season for her teammates, from the first serve to the final point. Chest-bumping, clapping, shouting and coming up with special handshakes with her teammates, Hoyle brought an energy to the O’Connell Center that no box score could capture.
At 5-foot-10, Hoyle’s position as a libero demands sacrifice. Her job is to keep the ball alive at all costs.
“If it requires [my] face, then that works too,” she said.
Hoyle thrives under that kind of pressure and adrenaline. It is what she loves most about the sport.
Another thing she loves: being a Florida Gator. For this reason, she’s returning for one final season, ready to pull on her No. 3 jersey for one final lap.
“I’ve put blood, sweat and tears into this program,” Hoyle said. “I just couldn't leave quite yet. Being able to have a fifth year and do it wearing Florida across my chest is everything I could ever ask for.”
The North Carolina native dreamed of becoming a Gator ever since she was 8 years old. At 15, in a qualifying club team match, she dove headfirst for a ball into then-head coach Mary Wise’s feet.
“I almost took her out,” Hoyle laughed.
Wise took notice. Recruiting conversations followed. And eventually, Hoyle’s dream of playing for Florida became reality.
Today, her goals for her final season are simple: to be the best possible teammate and leader, to continue being present and to embody what it truly means to be a Florida Gator.
“Everyone needs an Emerson Hoyle in their life,” said her teammate, senior defensive specialist Emily Canaan.
She’s going to celebrate her teammates louder than anyone.
She’s going to represent the orange and blue with unmistakable pride.
She’s going to sing Frank Sinatra in the shower and enjoy her favorite post-match meal: a steak and a sweet potato.
And, like her favorite movie line from “Secretariat,” she’s going to run her own race.
Contact India Houghton at ihoughton@alligator.org. Follow her on X @indiahoughton16.
India Houghton is a graduate student studying Business Management and a member of the UF women’s tennis team. She is the sports opinion columnist for The Alligator. A Northern California native, India completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University in Science, Technology and Society, competing for the Cardinal women’s tennis team. She enjoys playing the piano, taking ice baths, and rooting for her hometown 49ers.
