Sumter High's Wells jumps her way to Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week

Sumter High track standout Simone Wells is no stranger to performing under bright lights.

Earlier this year, she placed fifth in the middle school division at New Balance Indoor Nationals. The Alice Drive student competed at the SCHSL 5A state meet as a seventh-grader last year.

That ability to shine when the lights are the brightest continued last week, as she took part in the Sumter County Championships and the Coaches Classic Elite Meet with just a day off in between. She responded with the two best jumps of her career.

The performance was also enough to earn Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week honors, a recognition her older sister, Nicole, has won in each of the last two years.

"It really means a lot to me; it meant a lot knowing that I have the support of friends and family," Simone said of the recognition. "I was always really happy for (Nicole), seeing her win it. It's nice now that it's my turn."

Sumter High head coach Mironda Scott-Proctor knew Wells had a big week in her.

"She's no stranger to competition. It's almost refreshing for her to still be kind of nervous at these bigger meets because she's just a middle-schooler, and you have to remind yourself of that," Scott-Proctor said. "Her confidence level is up now because she knows she's proven herself multiple times. It's very refreshing to see someone so young handle this kind of pressure and hold her own."

First up was the Sumter County Championships. Wells set a new personal best in the long jump by clearing 17'3.5". She also ran with her sister on the 4x100 team, winning the county title and placed second in the high jump by clearing 4'10".

"It was more of a mental thing for me. I had to mentally prepare myself. Normally I do things like listen to music and making sure I'm eating right the week before," Wells said of her preparation. "I wasn't expecting to come out there and jump that well after not jumping for a while, so I kind of surprised myself."

Wells carried that momentum into the Coaches Classic Elite Meet just two days later. She qualified as an alternate after a strong showing at the qualifying meet and made the most of her opportunity. She matched that jump of 17'3.5" to place eighth. She had never leapt 17' before last week and then managed to do it twice.

"The week before, I didn't do too much jumping to save my legs and make sure that my body was healthy so I could jump as well as possible," Wells said. "Hitting that 17 mark was a big milestone for me."

Scott-Proctor knows how much that number meant to her, so to see Wells hit the mark twice was special.

"She popped it off the very first attempt, and I said, 'You must like that number.' And she started smiling," the SHS coach said. "After nationals when she hit the 16 mark, she said her goal was to jump at least 17, and I told her she was going to get it. I didn't expect it to come this early in the season, but Simone takes to coaching, she puts in the work.

"Initially, she wasn't even qualified to be in there. Someone dropped out, and she got in. To see her go from not even initially being part of the Top 16 to placing eighth, I thought that was amazing. It goes back to what I tell them, 'You're only as good as your last jump; rankings don't matter.' She proved that she's a contender and a force to be reckoned with for years to come."

Even after competing at the national level, the Coaches Classic Elite meet was still stressful. Wells was the only middle-schooler in the field of long jumpers, but her experience at Indoor Nationals helped her stay calm and collected on Friday.

"It can be intimidating at times, but I have to think I'm just as good as they are. We all qualified for the same meet. It's always good to have better competition," Wells said. "(Indoor Nationals) really prepared me for meets like this. It gave me almost like a boost in confidence."

There was one complicating factor on Friday. As Wells received the news she qualified for the finals, her sister pulled up limping in the 200m dash.

"I saw her stop in the race, so I had to go over there and watch and make sure she was OK," Wells said. "It did kinda throw me off a little bit, but I was able to finish the rest of my jumps."

This has been a special season for Simone. Last year, she made the jump up to varsity later in the season and took part in the state meet. This year she's made the national rounds with her older sister and has been able to compete alongside Nicole during her last season as a Lady Gamecock. She's looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season has in store.

"It's been special to me," Wells said of the season. "I know we're getting down to our last couple of meets together, so I just want to cherish the time we have since this will be our last year being on the same team together."