Sumter High's Wells runs away with new personal record to open track season

Sumter High junior Nicole Wells kicked off her spring season with a bang last week, setting a new PR in the 100m dash while winning two races at Eau Claire. Her performance was also enough to earn recognition as the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week.

"I am always grateful for the support of my coaches, teammates and especially the Sumter community," Wells said of winning the vote this week. "It meant a lot to me that they took the time to vote."

Wells was a state qualifier for the Lady Gamecocks last season and put in a lot of work over the offseason to improve this year.

"After my state meet, I had about two weeks off. Them I went right into summer training and summer meets," Wells said. "I had the opportunity to develop and fine-tune my skills during that time. I spent the fall staying in shape by weight training and conditioning after school. I also had the chance to run indoor track this winter, which was a first for me."

Wells, the reigning Hines Furniture Athlete of the Year, won the 100m and 200m dashes at Sumter's season-opening meet at Eau Claire on Wednesday. She set a new personal record with a 12.39 in the 100, where she is currently ranked second in the state. She's also the top-ranked runner of the 200m dash with a best time of 25.06.

"I felt like I worked so hard over the winter season and the summer, so I knew I was going to get a better PR," Wells said of that season-opening meet. "It felt pretty good because I know my hard work paid off."

Sumter High coach Mironda Scott was excited to see the work Wells has put in as she looks to make a splash this spring.

"I am extremely proud of the growth Nicole has made coming into her junior season," Scott said. "Starting the season-opener with a personal record is a major deal. We are looking forward to her continuing to drop her times in all of her events and being a contender in the state championship series."

Wells then faced a tough field in the Diamond Hornet Classic on Saturday, finishing fourth in the 200m dash. She said the challenging crowd helped push her to keep improving.

"It was a really good competition. I'm so glad I had a chance to race against those fast girls. It was a good experience," Wells said. "I felt like I needed that to get my times lower in a couple of those races."

Wells will wrap up her indoor season this weekend, as she makes the trip to New York to compete at the Nike Indoor Nationals. She will run in the 60m. 200m, and 400m in the emerging elite category. Wells is excited about the opportunity to show her skills in front of a national audience.

"I'm excited because I know it's going to be a lot of good competition up there and that will push me to be better," Wells said. "I feel like the people I raced against last week helped me prepare for this weekend."