National Women’s History Month is the perfect time to celebrate women and their impacts through every field. One of these fields, and what field I personally think is one of the most important, due to its importance for women and girls, is sports.
When I think of a hardworking female athlete, many people come to mind: my sisters, my friends and my teammates. One person in particular, though, stands out to me. That would be my cousin Erin Houpt.
Houpt was a very athletic kid growing up, trying as many sports as she could, until, in fourth grade, decided basketball was what she wanted to pursue.
“Ever since fourth grade, I just kind of had this dream that I wanted to play [division l] basketball and be in the [Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)],” Houpt said.
Houpt attended Danville High School in downstate Illinois, where she received the title of the school’s all-time leading scorer, scoring 2,208 points throughout her four-year career. As a senior, she averaged about 27.6 points per game. My cousin was named two-time Big 12 conference player of the year.
She didn’t just accomplish all of this without working for it, though.
“I grew up in a basketball family,” Houpt said. “So I was always around the sport, playing whenever I could.”
High school introduced many challenges to Houpt that she, like most teenagers, had never faced before. One of these hardships was the infamous COVID-19.
“When Covid hit, things got a lot more complicated. It was definitely hard trying to reach my goals when I had that in the way,” Houpt said.
During her senior year, Houpt received an offer to play Division l basketball at Mercer University in Georgia. Playing at the level she always dreamed of being at was an amazing experience for Houpt.
Houpt made great friendships and connections at Mercer, but struggled with the coaching offered there.
“I just felt like it really wasn’t for me,” Houpt said. “I wanted to make sure I was where I was supposed to be.”
Following the decision to leave Mercer, Houpt entered what is called the “portal.” In simple terms, the portal is an online platform where college athletes transfer schools to make the move easier.
I always remember my dad on the phone with my aunt (Houpt’s mom) talking about the transition to a different school and the challenges it came with. It made me appreciate my cousin more; she was strong enough to leave and had hope that she would find another school.
Finally, in April of 2023, Houpt decided to attend San Diego State University, which is also a Division l school.
“I think living on the West Coast is so cool,” Houpt said. “I was super happy with the switch.”
Right as Houpt was transitioning to play with her new teammates and coaches, she made a wrong move on the court and tore her ACl, which altered her college basketball experience greatly. Houpt expressed that that was the hardest year of not only her life, but her career as well.
“I saw it as a bigger bump in the road,” Houpt said. “But I also just kind of felt like I was built for these things and tried to keep a positive mindset through the whole process of recovery.”
Houpt’s biggest motivator in life is her mother, my Aunt Kathy. Houpt mentioned that no matter how her mother’s day was going and how she felt, she always put others before herself and tried hard to better those around her.
“[My mom’s] work ethic in life is what motivates me the most,” Houpt said. “I would definitely say she is my biggest role model.
Houpt is now back on the court after a year of difficult recovery. When I asked my cousin what her biggest accomplishment was, she expressed that it would have to be the hard work she put into making it where she is now – reaching her goal and becoming a Division l basketball player.
“It was definitely challenging, but very rewarding,” Houpt said. “There were days when I woke up and I was angry at the world, but most days I woke up very motivated to get better and work harder.”
