Whitney Williams (Left) won one of the closest races in state meet history at the 2016 UIL state meet
In 2016, Whitney Williams entered the track season as an unknown freshman at Frisco High School. There were no expectations and no build up as to what she would do.
That is exactly how her 2018 season has already begun. An almost unknown with neither expectations nor build up.
How can that be for a athlete who won three individual medals at the UIL 5A state meet? As a freshman, Williams won the 400m (53.68), placed second in the long jump (19-4.5), and third in the triple jump (40-4.75). She then went on to win a USATF Junior Olympic 400m national title in the 400m later that summer.
Well, maybe it's because after she had a heck of a UIL state meet and summer success in 2016, she didn't get to return to the track for her sophomore year in 2017.
In 2016, Williams was also playing basketball. That is when she suffered a knee injury. "I was playing basketball and got tripped up with another player and I twisted my knee in a weird way. I tore my ACL and my meniscus and had to have surgery to repair my knee," Williams said.
For an athlete that tasted success so young and very early in her high school career, things had to have become all of a sudden challenging.
"When I first hurt my knee I didn't know the severity of the injury. I went to Care Now that Saturday after the game on Friday and they told me it was a minor sprain, but when I went back to school my trainer told me that I should go get a MRI just to make sure that it was just a minor sprain. When I first learned that I tore my ACL and my meniscus I was absolutely terrified. I didn't know if I was ever going to be able to run again or if I was going to be able to run in the same. I was so scared."
From there, it would be a year of turbulence and torture. Williams would have to go over a year unable to participate in athletics. Practices, games, meets, and being around teammates at the time were things of the past for her. Both physical and mental tests would challenge her fortitude.
"Having to sit out last year and just watch all my friends run and see everyone doing good was heartbreaking. I remember just sitting on the sidelines in the stands thinking about how one injury basically took a part of my life away but I came to the realization that everything happens for reason and this was the path that I was put on and the obstacle I had to face . Honestly this was probably one of the most difficult things for me because running is one of my favorite things to do and not being able to do what you love is super upsetting, especially watching all your friends succeeding."
"At first, rehab was tough but it got easier with time. In the beginning it felt like I wasn't making progress and it was taking a long time for me to just be able to do little things such as walk, straighten my leg, or bend my knee. After surgery it took me about three months to start walking again and around four or five months I started to jog. Mentally, it was challenging. Lots of people would give me encouraging words and tell me that it was going to be OK and that I was going to come back stronger but I didn't know for fact that I would come back stronger or that Id come back better than before. Over time, I had a mindset readjustment and begin to encourage myself, think positive thoughts, and cast out all the negativity."
This indoor season, Williams' junior year and second high school season has already begun. As previously mentioned, it has been without build up and with no expectations.
In August, Williams was cleared to begin running again. "I've been doing lots of training with my summer track coach as well as my school coach. My training is mostly weight room, form work/sprint work, and endurance work."
Nobody is picking Williams to win anything anymore. With out seeing her compete or hearing her name for over a year, it's like everybody is just getting around to remembering who she is and what she is capable of.
She hasn't picked back up right where she left off. In fact, she is far away. But, who would be able to do so in the same situation? '
In her first meet back, Williams ran the 200m and 400m at Texas A&M High School Indoor Classic where she went 25.77 and 58.62 and 57.83. From there, she came back a few weeks later at the Texas Tech Under Armour High School Classic ran even faster with two 400m races. Williams went 57.07 and 57.35 in those two races.
"Right now trying to get back to where I was is motivating and also challenging. It's just minor things that I need to work on and certain things I need to improve. I think the hardest part is right now because I'm so close to where I was but yet I'm so far away from where I need to be."
Williams is right, she is both....so close and yet so far away from where she was -- but she may not be as far aways as she thinks. As a freshman, she ran 56.68 in her first outdoor meet the year she ran the 53.68 to win state. Having already gone 57.07 weeks ago means it is possible Williams could be right on schedule or even ahead of schedule of the form that won her a state title.
It's not clear yet on if Williams will pursue the jumps that she also excelled in, but she has not jumped yet. "It depends, right now my leg isn't as strong as I would want it to be but if I build up some muscle, it's a possibility."
Williams is still a young athlete and she has a lot left to endure, but she is on a good path back to greatness. Will she return to her championship and elite level form that she was at before the injury and surgery? Nobody knows for sure, but she is definitely on track and that is only possible because she endured tough times and put in the work in rehab and in practice to take that first run back.
Although, Williams is only a junior and this will just be her second year of high school track, she has learned a lot through the last year. "Advice that I would give others would be to just stay motivated and to keep your spirits lifted because if you're not positive about the situation that you are in, the journey to come back will be more complicated. I learned that most every aspect of any sport or athletics in general is dedication regardless of if you're injured or not. If you want to excel in your sport and do good you have to be committed and give 150% in every rep or every set and not hold back."
This outdoor season, we will have one of our stars back. "I'm going to just stick to running because it's my favorite sport and it is the sport I want to do in college. By the end of this school track season, I want to hopefully be back to where I was before I was injured."
