STARKVILLE — Kate Mattox left her house at 7:30 Tuesday night to walk around her neighborhood.
The Starkville High School senior had a lot on her mind and wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She turned to God and asked for guidance to help her make a big decision. Two-and-a-half hours later, Mattox had made her decision.
On Wednesday, Mattox made the choice official when she signed a National Letter of Intent to compete in cross country and track and field at Southern Mississippi.
“I kept going back and forth and back and forth over and over,” Mattox said. “Southern Miss was the one I felt most excited about, and I just felt the most at peace with it. I didn’t feel 100 percent with any of them because they were all so great, but it came down to my heart and do what was best for me.”
Mattox said Mississippi State was her No. 2 choice, with South Alabama being a close third. Mattox said it was a difficult decision to make, so she took some time alone to make sure she made the right choice.
Starkville girls cross country and track and field coach Caroline Woomer didn’t find out about Mattox’s decision until Wednesday morning.
“She’s really been struggling with it,” Woomer said. “It’s not my place to tell her what to do, and it’s not my place to tell her what to do. This is her decision, and I know that she felt really heavy and struggled with it. I was anxious to find out.”
Mattox has been named the Mississippi Gatorade Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year the last three years. She has won six state championships since she began competing at the varsity level as a seventh-grader.
Earlier this month, Mattox won the girls Class 6A State title with a time of 18 minutes, 50.8 seconds.
Mattox’s older sister, Walker, is at North Alabama, but she visited Southern Miss two years ago during the recruiting process. When she returned home, she had a prediction for her younger sister.
“I remember her coming home and saying, ‘Kate, I really wouldn’t be surprised if you end up there. The girls on the team remind me a lot of you, and I can really see you liking it,’ ” Kate said. “Since then, I’ve really considered it and fell in love with it.”
In track, Kate Mattox has won the last five state championships in the 1,600 and the 3,200 meters. She has 88 wins between cross country and track and field since she began competing in the seventh grade.
Woomer said Mattox would have fit in at any school because she has been very giving and she’s very kind.
Woomer knows there always has been a driving force behind Mattox’s work ethic and her will to compete.
“She knows God gave her a talent,” Woomer said. “As long as she has it and as long as she can run, she wants to run and give everything she has. She can’t stand to lose. She wants to win every race. That’s just a really unique combination. She likes to work hard. If she doesn’t work hard, she’s disappointed. She’s her biggest motivator and she’s very driven.”
Former Starkville boys cross country and track and field athlete Patton Little signed with Southern Miss last year, but she said coaches like track coach Jon Stuart and cross country coach Aaron Kindt made her decision easy.
Mattox said she enjoyed getting to know the MSU staff and runners, but when she thought it over, Southern Miss was the place for her.
“I felt just the most at home and the most at peace with Southern Miss,” Mattox said. “I felt the most excited about it.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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