HDEU for me started my junior year at the University of North Carolina. I was injured the very first game of the season (a season during which I was expected to be one of the top players on our team) and I was left with an ankle that needed rehab and a heart and mind that were crushed.

I was in the weight room at the beginning of my rehab and I looked up into the mirror to see myself in a way that I had never seen myself before. I looked mad. Not “mad at the world” or even mad at my situation – mad like the man in the mirror craved only one result: Victory.

I was at a crossroads and saw myself in that mirror with my head down, but my eyes were up. I was staring at a man who was ready to do everything he could to fight for success and redemption.

From that day on, “Head Down Eyes Up” became my personal motto; my way of life to succeed not by looking at an end result, but by fighting every step of the way, focusing only on each moment in front of me. I've had a lot of ups and downs since that day in the weight room, including the loss of my dad (he was my best friend) nearly seven months later. Through it all, I've kept my head down and my eyes up, and they are locked in on every small step of the way that leads to victory.

Head Down, Eyes Up.