Committed: Eliana Henriques

The Left Hand Valley Courier has featured each of the nine Niwot High School students who signed National Letters of Intent on the Nov. 13, 2024 fall signing day to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level. From soccer to track and field, these athletes represent a diverse array of sports and dreams fulfilled. This is the final profile in the fall series.

Eliana Henriques has been around track and field for as long as she can remember. With her dad, Maurice "Coach Mo" Henriques, serving as Niwot High School's head coach and running his own club, REAL Training, Eliana was introduced to the sport at age four, and she has loved it ever since.

Now a senior at Niwot High, Henriques has made her own mark in the sport, emerging as a top competitor in both sprints and jumps. After years of dedication and growth, she signed to compete at the Division I level for Clemson University last November.

What drew Henriques to track early on was not just the family connection, but the nature of the sport itself.

"Your success in the sport solely depends on the effort that you put in individually," she said. "Unlike team sports where winning is a collective effort, in track you're all on your own, which I really grew to love."

Henriques specializes in the long jump and the 400-meter dash, two events that highlight both her explosive power and stamina. Although she started running at a young age, it was not until eighth grade that she began taking track seriously. Her development since then has been shaped by both triumphs and setbacks.

One of the moments she is most proud of came after a major obstacle, an ACL tear she suffered during her sophomore season. The injury kept her sidelined for the year, but the recovery taught her valuable lessons about perseverance.

"Having to learn how to deal with an injury like that grew me as an athlete and as a person," she said. "It taught me resilience."

Coach Mo remembers the moment vividly. "I ran over and said, 'Hey man, we got this, get up!' because that's the coach instinct," he said. "I didn't know at the time that she was actually hurt."

He added that watching Eliana bounce back was impressive. "The following season, she couldn't jump off her dominant leg due to the injury, so she trained herself to jump off the opposite foot, and she did really well."

Outside of Niwot High, Henriques trains with REAL Training, a club program that has allowed her to stay consistent year-round and gain exposure at national-level meets. She credits Coach Darius Reed, a longtime mentor, with helping her build confidence in herself, especially during the more difficult parts of her journey.

"He believed in me through times when I didn't believe in myself," she said.

Competing under her father's guidance has also been a unique part of Henriques' experience. "I think it's made our relationship stronger, and he's been able to teach me a lot of life lessons through track, such as having mental toughness and putting your full effort into everything that you do," she said. "It's been a special thing for us to share in the same passion."

But for Coach Mo, that balance has always been intentional. "She was two when I started coaching at Niwot, and I always said that if she ended up here, I wasn't going to coach her directly," he shared. "Now she's 17, and I'm still coaching here, but we've always had the understanding that on the track, I'm Coach Mo, and at home, I'm just Dad. It's been really cool getting to watch her up close."

She also always knew she wanted to take her talent to the next level. "I realized I wanted to run at the collegiate level when I was little, when my dad told me how he got a scholarship and played football for CU," she said. "From that moment, I wanted to be just like him and get a scholarship for track."

Among her favorite memories are the friendships she has built through track and the everyday training moments she has shared with teammates. To get in the right mindset before competitions, she listens to Christian music, something that helps her feel calm and centered.

As she is in the middle of her final high school season, Henriques hopes to post personal bests in her events, but more than anything, she wants to leave an impact on her team. "My main goal this year has been to grow as a person and as a leader," she said. "Even if I don't PR this season, I hope that by the end, I'll be able to say that the younger kids on the team looked up to me."

Henriques is also involved in Leadership Academy and National Honor Society. She plans to major in biology at Clemson and eventually pursue medical school, with the goal of becoming a dermatologist or emergency room physician.

Coach Mo said he watched his daughter weigh her college options with both maturity and purpose. "It was cool seeing what she valued in a program," he said. "When we visited Clemson, it blew me away."

She is excited for the next chapter, especially the chance to compete at the D1 level. "I think there is a lot more focus, dedication, and energy put into sports at that level," she said. "I'm excited to see how that environment will contribute to my success."

Her advice to younger athletes hoping to compete in college is to trust the process. "Stay patient, and know that it will all work out in the end," she said. "Your hard work will pay off eventually."