As winter approaches so does the indoor track and field season, and senior Reese Mitchell is ready to return. During the season last spring, she broke school records for four different events.
Mitchell broke her first two school records with her relay teams in the 4×200 and 4×400 during the same meet at Kankakee High School. After the shock of breaking the 4×200 record and qualifying for state, Mitchell and her relay broke the 4×400 by surprise. She broke her next two in the 100 meter dash and the 4×100-meter relay during the first day at the state meet.
“The 100 record I really wanted to break some time before I graduated,” Mitchell said. “It was so unexpected to break it when I did.”
After placing 2nd at state during the 2022 track season, Mitchell and her teammates were informed of the resignation of Head Coach John Neisler. New Head Coach, Randy Anderson, took the job. Anderson’s experience coaching began in 2000 at the junior high level in Clinton, next moving to high school and club track in Bloomington, and then coaching at Illinois Wesleyan University before accepting the job at U-High. He quickly recognized the talent within the team as countless records fell within his first year.
“Reese Mitchell is a very gifted sprinter,” Anderson said. “She worked really hard for those records. It’s an honor to see what she accomplished last year.”
Mitchell has been running track for over 6 years, and she uses a very specific pre-race ritual to accomplish her goals.
“Pre-race I do the same warmup every time because I am very superstitious when it comes to track,” Mitchell said. “Once that warmup is done sometimes I will have a few Skittles or Sour Patch Kids to get some sugar. Another pre race ritual is whenever I am getting into my blocks I will do the same routine every meet.”
Teammate and 2023 school record holder for the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400, Jersey Jones, was a contributing factor to Mitchell’s record-breaking relays.
“The first one we broke I didn’t expect, and then by the time we got the next two it was even more shocking,” Jones said. “It is honestly super hard to grasp and understand that your team ran the best time in school history, and I am still trying to process it to this day.”
With the 2024 track and field season approaching, new records are waiting to be broken. Supportive of all of his athletes and their accomplishments from last year, excitement leads Anderson into the new season.
“On paper, this could be the most talented group of athletes I’ve ever coached,” he said.
