OUR ATHLETE OF THE WEEK COMMUNITY PARTNER
Each week, Monitor staff selects and interviews a local Athlete of the Week. Learn more about their accomplishments, their goals and what makes them unique. We’d like to thank our sponsor Capital City Kia.
Our partners do not participate in the selection of these athletes. That is fully at the discretion of our journalists.
Hopkinton senior Sofia Upton played soccer from a young age and has always loved running.
In spring track, she runs the 400-meter, the 800m, and is part of both the 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams for Hopkinton. Last season, the 800-meter relay team won the Division III title with a school-record-breaking time.
As a junior, the winter before that successful track season, she started Nordic skiing. It was a departure from her usual sports — at first, she said, it was very technical — but she found success nonetheless.
Upton led a strong overall Hawks girls’ team to the D-II title with an individual third-place finish in freestyle.
Q: Why did you decide to start skiing for Hopkinton’s Nordic team?
A: I joined Nordic as a junior, looking to stay fit and active during the winter to prepare for track season. A few of my friends from track did Nordic, and my mom is truly the one who urged me to join. I ended up not only finding an insane way to stay active but also a love for a new sport and new experiences.
Q: What appealed to you about the sport, and how did you improve over time to finish in third at the D-2 championships?
A: I love to challenge myself and I enjoy doing hard, intensive sports. Nordic is an endurance sport, and I have always been a long-distance runner. In Nordic, you are not only racing for a team, you are racing against the clock, your teammates and yourself. This season for Nordic, I truly felt I had gotten the technique down; now, it’s just about the strength, the determination and the speed. I spend lots of my time at the gym before practice, strength training and going on skis on the weekends to truly improve my skiing.
Q: You also play other sports, soccer in the fall and track in the spring. How do you balance it all?
A: I have always been a very busy person, and I enjoy staying busy. At times, it is difficult to balance my seasonal sports with school work, friends and other hobbies. I am not only a three-sport athlete but also an AP student. Every morning I wake up at 5:00 am to go to the gym for strength training, go to classes and then practice after school. At night I will have the occasional homework if I did not already complete it during study hall. I definitely do not get enough sleep some nights, but the satisfaction of doing these challenges makes it worth it.
Q: If you had to pick one of your three sports, which one would you choose and why?
A: Honestly, I would pick Nordic. As tough and intense of a sport as it is, I have truly found so much love and appreciation for it. Nordic is the only sport I don’t really get nervous about. For both track and soccer, I feel a ton of pressure on me because I have been doing them all my life, but for Nordic, I didn’t really have many expectations for myself coming in because I had just started. I took each race as it came and just kept growing and improving as an athlete. Nordic skiing also has an amazing community around it.
Q: What have your sports taught you? Which lessons stick out?
A: Sports as a whole have given me so much grit and truly have given me my identity. Being committed and dedicated to something bigger than myself, like a team, that pushes me to my limits, pushes not only my body but also my mind. I have gained so much mental toughness and confidence through the sports I do.
Q: What does representing Hopkinton mean to you?
A: I am a proud athlete and student of Hopkinton. Hopkinton is very supportive of its student-athletes. A very high percentage of our students are involved in one or more sports; you can’t say this about many high schools. Hopkinton is a truly special place for students who are involved in the athletic community. I have been honored to represent Hopkinton athletics since elementary school.
Q: Who has helped you throughout your journey, and how?
A: My mom is my biggest supporter and cheerleader. She has shown up to every game, every Nordic race and every track meet. She has always known how to hype me up before my races and calm my nerves. She is the one that pushed me into Nordic, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Q: How have your coaches, Rob Rothe, George Sabol and Mike Zahn, helped you succeed?
I have had the privilege to be coached by Rob Rothe for both my first two years of track and my years on Nordic. Rob has pushed me to my limits as an athlete and made me the athlete I am today. He is a role model to his athletes, as he is always leading and doing the workouts/skis with us. He is truly inspiring.
George Sabol is the coach who got me into track. He sought me out at school and encouraged me to join. He saw something in me I did not and still to this day is always supporting me and cheering me on as an athlete.
Mike has coached me in both lacrosse in middle school and soccer though my high school years. Mike has always appreciated me as an athlete and has always placed me in positions and roles that have bettered me as an athlete.
I want to give a special shout-out to Skate Murdough, who was my first coach in Hopkinton. He coached me in soccer and taught me the fundamentals of how to be a teammate and an athlete, and he has been such a huge supporter throughout my sports journey.
Q: Last spring, you won the D-III track and field title and won the 4×800 with your teammates. What was that experience like?
This was an amazing experience. I am and always have been extremely close with my distance team and winning the 4×800 with them was such a good feeling. In Hopkinton, we have had a very strong 4×800 team the past few years. As my years with these girls grew, we all truly felt like family. We had won the 4×800 in 2023, as well as in 2024, so this win this past spring was a combination of hard work and commitment from the girls on my team.
Q: How would you compare your three sports and how do you adjust and prepare for each season?
A: Soccer is more of a team-focused sport, it is a game on the field and is built off teamwork and skill. Nordic, in comparison, varies greatly from soccer. It is more individual as well as technical. You are not only competing against others, but the clock and yourself. Track does mirror Nordic in the individual aspect, but track is a bit different because in track I run shorter events in comparison to the 5K’s I race for Nordic. Both track and Nordic are equally challenging sports, both physically and mentally.
Q: You’re a senior. What are your aspirations for life after graduation?
A: I plan on attending the University of New Hampshire in the fall. I was accepted into the life sciences program and I am majoring in biochemistry. I plan to attend medical school after my undergrad and pursue medicine. I am very excited to join different clubs and groups in college. Whether it is club soccer or Nordic, I plan to continue to stay active, as it brings me so much happiness and a community to immerse myself in.
Q: What piece of advice would you give to athletes interested in Nordic skiing?
A: To anyone who is interested in Nordic skiing, I highly recommend it. I was a bit scared and intimidated because it was a completely new sport. But I continued to show up and grow as an athlete. Consistency is some of the best advice I could give: Stay consistent, stay strong, and continue to show up even when things start to get tough because that is when it matters most.
Q: What’s a sports slogan, piece of pop culture, saying or moment that has inspired you?
A: “It’s the work you do when no one is watching that makes the difference.” – Jessie Diggins