Prep Zone: Crystal Lake Central's Sami Staples to sign with Kentucky

Crystal Lake Central senior Sami Staples’ high school running career started with a bang when she won the Class 2A cross country state championship as a freshman in 2011

A long list of injuries prohibited her career from blossoming since then, but Staples, who missed most of her junior and senior cross country seasons, has something that has brought her joy.

Staples committed to the University of Kentucky on Sunday and will sign her National Letter of Intent with the Wildcats on Wednesday. Staples will receive athletic and academic scholarships from Kentucky.

“It’s been really, really hard,” said Staples, who was fourth in state cross country as a sophomore. “My freshman year, having all these wonderful things. It’s hard to miss out on that stuff. I’m blessed to say I had all that success. I’m grateful for what I did have and I want to try to make something of what I have now.”

In June, Staples ran a 4:50 to win the 1,500 meters in the USA Track and Field Illinois Association Junior Olympics Championships at Benedictine University in Lisle. That race was an indicator to Kentucky coach Edrick Floreal what Staples, when healthy, could do.

“That was what put the fire in their coach,” Staples said. “We’ve been talking for a whole year. That day I felt like myself, I felt really good and sat with the leaders for the first 400. I went out and

won by 15 seconds. [Floreal] saw that I needed consistent training and running without being hurt for a while.”

Staples started experiencing pain in her right leg during cross country and several doctor visits indicated a strained muscle in her upper leg. Eventually, an MRI showed Staples had a stress fracture in her femur. She has been out for six weeks and hopes to be back running in two months.

“I was feeling really good, my confidence was back and I was super-excited to start running,” she said. “I can’t catch a break.”

Staples will finish her graduation requirements in December and she won’t run track in the spring, but she will stay home and finish her rehabilitation and start training for the fall cross country season at Kentucky.

She plans to follow workouts that Floreal and his staff send her.

One of Staples’ three older sisters, Jessie, also went to Kentucky on an athletic scholarship. Jessie Staples competed in gymnastics one year before disc problems in her back ended her competitive career. Sami visited Jessie in Lexington and ran in an open indoor track meet, where she got to see the facilities.

“Their facilities are great,” Sami said. “They have three hospitals and I want to go into pre-med, and their program’s one of the best there.”