Shyia Smith ran her last sprint, part of the 800-meter relay at team at Idabel (Okla.) High School, handed her gold medal to her grandfather, as promised, and watched him hang it near his front door.
Then, she thought, her sprinting days ended after that Class 3A meet in June in Oklahoma City.
"I don't really like sprinting," she said. "My grandpa is a big sports person. I told him I was going to get him a gold medal. I was determined."
Smith's determination is starting to pay off at Wichita State (6-4) and, it turns out, she's not done sprinting.