Canes on Track with Samantha Williams
By David Villavicencio
CORAL GABLES, Fla.– How do you go from relative obscurity to the top of your sport?
Ask Samantha Williams.
An All-American in the triple jump, Williams never couldhave imagined her track career reaching such great heights.
“Coming out of high school, I was a nobody,” Williams said.“It was really the faith my coaches had in me back in North Dakota that helpedme. I was a transfer here from a Division II school. I didn’t know thateverything would turn out this well.”
Thanks to hard work in the off-season, Williams has gottenher senior season off to a strong start. The senior won the triple jump at theAuburn Invitational and finished second in the long jump at the KentuckyInvitational.
“I definitely was looking forward to this because I knew allthe hard work that I put in leading up to the season,” Williams said. “I did mysummer workouts and really pushed myself in the fall. When everyone went homeover Christmas break, I stayed here and worked. I’ve been preparing for successbut how it started off has shocked me. I didn’t know it would be this way sosoon.”
Williams’ track career began in Jamaica, where she was bornand raised. She was always active in athletics, but her favorite sport wasalways track.
“I did swimming, track and I played net ball,” Williamssaid. “That’s not common here but it’s kind of like basketball and only girlsplay it. Track was always my preferred thing. Swimming was just something I didon the side. Track was always my dominant sport.”
Following the completion of her career at the St. AndrewHigh School for Girls in Kingston, Jamaica, Williams embarked on an interestingjourney. She headed north to Bismarck, N.D., where she attended a smallDivision II school, University of Mary.
“I went to high school in Jamaica and then I came to theUnited States freshman year,” Williams said. “I actually came in as asprinter/long jumper, but sprints just were not for me. I wasn’t fast enough.They tried, but that wasn’t my thing, so I focused on the long jump.”
Williams’ best event is the triple jump, but she may havenever learned that without attending University of Mary.
“I went there and the jumps coach thought I should trytriple jump,” Williams said. “I had never done it in my life but he got me totry it. In the first meet, I beat the standard for Division II and it all wenton from there. Coincidentally, my better event at the time, the long jump, wentdownhill and triple jump went up.”
Williams, who still holds the triple jump record atUniversity of Mary, wanted to challenge herself at a higher level. She decidedto transfer to a Division I school, but she was not originally slated to jointhe Hurricanes.
“Originally, I was going to the University of Kentucky,”Williams said. “At the last minute, something came through and Miami was now anew option. I was trying to run away from the snow and get somewhere warm.Being from Jamaica, Miami is very similar, weather-wise. I figured it was agood decision to come here.”
The decision proved to be an excellent one, as Williams hasearned All-American status while at Miami and elevated her ability to the pointthat she competed over the summer in the Under-23 trials for the Jamaican Trackand Field team.
“When the opportunity came to try out for the Jamaicanteam,” Williams said, “I thought ‘why not?’ I didn’t perform as well as I wanted to because it was a really longseason but I look forward to trying again this year for the WorldChampionships.”
Beyond her success on the track, Williams is incrediblyproud of her achievements in the classroom. An economics major, Williams isexcited to be on course to graduate from Miami this spring.
“That is another big accomplishment,” Williams said. “Havingan education from a university, especially a prestigious university, is such abig thing. Coming here was a big milestone. I am probably the third person inmy family to go to university and I’ll be one of the few that actuallycompletes it successfully. I’m looking forward to being a college graduate andwhat comes after it.”
After she completes her collegiate career, Williams hopes tocontinue working on the track as a professional. But she is not going toabandon academia completely, as she plans to get her MBA with a concentrationin marketing, as well.
“I am excited about the season and how it can play into mycareer and future after college,” Williams said. “My plans are to go to gradschool while I practice and try the professional/college balance. I reallythink there is somewhere for me to continue track. My main thing is gradschool, but hopefully I can balance the two.”
Maybe her biggest goal after completing her Hurricane careeris representing her country in the Olympics. A few years ago, Williams neverwould have dreamed of potentially joining Jamaica’s rich track and fieldhistory. But now that she has had so much success, she is confident that shecan find a place on the 2016 Olympic roster.
“Over the years, I’ve definitely built confidence in myselfas I’ve seen myself succeed in the past,” Williams said. “I think that the 2016Summer Olympics is a possibility. Being healthy and being strong and continuingto practice and keeping a positive mental attitude should help. If that’s God’splan, I will go with it. If not, marketing hopefully.”
