Sophomore runner Trevor Volpe is the definition of a hometown hero, making a difference on and off the track.
 
The Tucson-native is in his second year on the team, after walking on as a freshman last year.
 
"It's amazing," said Volpe. "I've grown up around the Arizona Wildcats all my life. I actually didn't think I'd ever be running here, I walked on after a successful summer at the junior Olympics, and I got a shot at doing it. It's really a blessing and a great opportunity that I'm going to take advantage of."
 
Volpe is certainly taking advantage of the opportunity presented to him. He started the indoor season with a PR in the 60 and closed it out last weekend with a PR in the 200. Still, his mindset is all about getting better.
 
"Obviously that means I'm getting faster which is always a positive thing," Volpe said. "It also keeps raising the bar for me. Last year I wanted to break 7 seconds in the 60, I finished the season with a 7.00, so to open up with a 6.99 and being able to break it like I did, that was really awesome. Now I want more. Same in the 200, I wanted to break into the 21's last year, I think I hit like a 22.06. Being able to hit 21 with some of my teammates, especially David Egbo who hasn't been able to his whole career here but finally got it and is getting in the groove of things, makes me feel really good going into MPSF. We're all getting faster, we're all getting strong, and it's exciting. Especially going into outdoor now, indoor is always a little bit slower than outdoor, so you just have that bar set even higher going into outdoor."
 
The 200-meter race in Texas last weekend was an exciting race for everyone, as Volpe's teammates David (Egbo) and Zakee (Washington) also PR'd.
 

Not a bad day for the men's 200-meter dash group

Maj Williams - 21.35 (PR)
Zakee Washington - 21.49 (PR)
David Egbo - 21.76 (PR)
Trevor Volpe - 21.96 (PR)
Daniel Egbo - 22.16 (PR)#BearDown #BeLezoLike pic.twitter.com/fxkKFBOO6w

— Arizona Track & Field (@ArizonaTrack) February 9, 2019

"It was awesome," Volpe said. "In that heat, I think it was me, Zakee, David and one other guy. Right before, we got up there and I say 'let's sweep this race, it'll look cool' and all that. I was lane 3, Zakee was 5, and David was 6 so I was chasing all them. They got out really well. I didn't have the best start, so seeing how well they were running, I wanted to get up there with them. Crossing the line, finishing strong, and looking up and seeing 21's for all of us was really exciting."
 
Not only is Volpe having a successful season on the track, but he's also having a huge impact on the Tucson community. Volpe is an active participant in volunteering activities, and understands the effect he can have as a student-athlete.
 
"I've been volunteering even before being a student-athlete," Volpe said. "Being a student-athlete, it makes it even better because now I am one of the faces of Arizona Athletics, so I can portray a positive image on the community. I like volunteering with children so we'll go to the boys and girls club or sometimes I'll go to schools to give them motivational speeches or I also work with Miracle en el Barrio which gives underprivileged kids on the south side toys for Christmas. Just showing them what they could be potentially and being a role model for them is awesome."
 


Only a sophomore, Volpe has already started his education in the Eller College of Management as a finance major. Volpe is a semester ahead of most students, so he may even add another major in entrepreneurship or MIS. Much like in track, Volpe sets the bar high for his career aspirations.
 
"I want to use my finance degree to excel in the mortgage industry," said Volpe. "My father owns and is the CEO of NOVA Home Loans. This August, I obtained my mortgage license for the state of Arizona, and I plan on being the number one loan originator in the United States."
 
Volpe is about as team-oriented as they come, and being from Tucson, he knows how much hosting the Pac-12 Championships means to the team.
 
"It means a lot. It means we've got to defend our turf," Volpe said. "Last year, we went into it wanting to be top three and we fell a spot short, we got edged out by Stanford. This year, with how many strong guys we have on our team, I think that we can really win it. Having it be at home, it's just that much more prideful that we have to do well here."