Briana Carrillo is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Arizona Lutheran Academy for AZPreps365.com

Some things are not always planned, especially for Aubrey Hartzell, who is still figuring out what she wants to do with the rest of her life. 

Hartzell, from Springerville, Arizona, went to Martin Luther College for track and field and to study to become a pastor or teacher but decided it wasn’t for her.

“So I decided not to spend more money and time doing that,” Hartzell said. 

She returned to Phoenix, back to her old track and field team at Arizona Lutheran Academy, where she volunteered to become the hurdles coach. 

“I want to give them this opportunity to actually have a coach for the hurdles,” Hartzell said, since she did not have a hurdles coach during her track and field career at Arizona Lutheran Academy.

This was due to Arizona Lutheran Academy being a smaller school and not having enough coaching staff, according to Matt Heyn, her old track and field coach.

“The coaching staff was myself and two part-time helpers,” Heyn said.

Hartzell's mom was one of those part-time helpers due to her past involvement in the sport. 

“Aubrey's mom was one of those coaches who did hurdles in her high school days, so she coached up our few hurdlers when she was available,” Heyn said. 

So during those moments when there was no one to lead, Hartzell would take on the role of hurdles coach, Heyn said.

“Aubrey took it upon herself to learn the necessary drills and then work through them with the other hurdlers,” Heyn said.

When she decided to come back, Heyn just couldn’t say no.

“To have a coach that specializes in each of the track disciplines is not practical for us,” Heyn said. “So for Aubrey to be able to work directly with our hurdlers on a daily basis really helped our hurdlers to be successful.”

Hartzell's coaching has brought success to the team, emphasized Heyn. 

“We had three hurdlers qualify for state, two of whom were in their first year of hurdling,” Heyn said.

This was not only recognized by the track and field team but also by coach Jon Romsdahl of the flag football team, who asked her to be the assistant coach. 

“He wanted a female to be a lead on the team since it’s an all-girl team,” Hartzell said. 

In that moment, she really didn’t know what to say.

She had never done anything with football before, but she thought, “Yeah, I can do that.”

Even though she has just joined the flag football team, she already has a strong connection with them, like with Kayla Wendt, the quarterback and team captain of the flag football team.

“She was a senior when I was a freshman, and we both ran track, and even in events together, so that connection for me is super cool,” Wendt said.

Even though she is the coach, the relationship feels different.

“It feels more personal and relatable since she’s at most only two or three years older than us seniors,” Wendt said.

While she hasn’t determined what she wants to do, these experiences have helped her start to find her path. She plans to keep pursuing coaching but hopes to go into a sports medicine type role, Hartzell said.

Even though this wasn’t her original plan, these experiences have helped her find her true path.

“I definitely don't feel qualified to do this, but starting is how you get qualified to do it,” Hartzell said.