It was an unusual scene at the Division 3 state track and field award ceremony at Comstock Park on June 1.
Reed City was announced as the state-runner-up with 40 points. Going to the podium by herself was senior Sami Michell, the winner of the 100- and 300- hurdles, the 200-meter dash, and the long jump. Of the 15 or so members of the Reed City girls track team, Michell as the only one to quality for the state meet. She won all of her events for 10 points in each and Reed City took second place.
Michell has been a phenom ever since hitting the high school scene. As a freshman, she won the 100-meter hurdles and came close in the other events. As a sophomore, she won both hurdles events plus the long jump and took second in the 200-meter dash.
Her junior year, Michell won all four events, becoming only the second girl in state history to win four events by herself. Others have won four events, but some of those events were relay races.
Michell almost didn’t compete in this year’s meet after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury last fall during a volleyball practice. She had surgery in September with hopes of getting back to the track, although she did miss her indoor season.
In February, the University of Michigan signed Michell to a national letter of intent. Even though her colleges plans were set, Michell still wanted to return to the state meet. First, she had to go through the grueling process of rehabbing her knee.
“It is not that it’s hard,” she said. “It’s so mentally depressing. Everything would have been so easy. They challenge you. You do a lot of things that would be hard regardless of the shape you’re in. The hardest thing was how mentally depressing it was. It took me awhile. I didn’t want to be there. I wanted to take my injury back.”
She won the long jump in 17′ 3 1/4″ to open the day. That accomplishment was a major relief for Michell, who had not competed in the event much during the season because of her knee.
“Someone asked me if I was going to long jump and they said ‘you really have nothing to prove anymore,’ ” Michell recalled. “But I feel I still have more to prove. I had surgery and I came back. I’m just real excited. I’m so happy.”
After winning both hurdles easily in 14.04 seconds and 45.18 seconds, she had to come from behind to take the 200-meter dash in 24.98 seconds and become a four-time winner for the second time.
As the meet ended, Michell and her parents, Brent and Vikki Michell, who are the Reed City coaches, sensed something else special was taking place.
“I was so excited,” Michell cried with a huge smile. “I’ve wanted to win a team trophy forever. I figured we needed more people to make it happen.”
Brent Michell recalled that Tyrone Wheatley, who ran track for a Dearborn school before becoming an All-Big Ten sensation at Michigan, accomplished the same thing.
“I thought about it before,” Sami said. “I didn’t think it would happen the whole meet. Then my dad came down and said, ‘you did it.’ I said ‘did what?’ He said, ‘I think you took second.’ I’m so excited.”