When Mady Winters leaves Magnolia High School in May of 2021, she’ll do so as one of the most decorated athletes in school history.
She’s a state champion in two sports. Winters helped lead the Blue Eagles volleyball team to Class A glory in 2018.
In track, she’s a two-time state champ, winning both the shot put and the discus as a sophomore.
No slouch in roundball, Winters was twice named second-team all-W.Va. in basketball.
She’s done all this, despite missing her entire junior year after suffering a knee injury during the volleyball preseason.
What more can she accomplish as a senior?
While that remains a question, Winters’ post-high school plans are not.
Winters announced this week via Twitter that she’s verbally committed to Wheeling University.
She’s following in older brother Mark’s footsteps, playing for the Cardinals. But unlike Mark, the younger Winters is opting for volleyball.
“I have always had a love for volleyball, and I just enjoy it so much,” Winters said. “It’s been my favorite since middle school.
“After having to sit out and watch every sport, it helped me make my final decision that I wanted to play volleyball in college.”
Keeping Close to Home
Winters admitted she wanted to remain fairly close to home in college.
That being the case and given her preference for volleyball, there’s no better choice than WU.
The Cardinals are a Division II powerhouse under the direction of head coach Christy Benner.
Benner’s teams are 602-120, have reached the Atlantic region 14 times, winning seven. They have two final four appearances, including the national championship season in 2015.
In 2019, Wheeling completed its 13th-straight 30-win season.
“(Mark) went to Wheeling, so I was pretty familiar with the campus,” Mady Winters said. “With how successful their volleyball program is, I knew Wheeling was the best choice for me
“Wheeling also has my major.”
Winters admitted she looked at a few other schools, both for volleyball and basketball. But ultimately, Wheeling won out for a number of reasons.
The Road Back
Magnolia was a favorite to repeat in 2019 in Class A before Winters suffered her knee injury.
But that injury kept Winters from wreaking havoc with fellow 6-footer Kyndra Pilant on all three playing fields.
The lone positive is Winters didn’t lose a spring sports season like her classmates because of COVID-19. The rehabilitation process needed to play out.
“I had been rehabbing, lifting, and doing everything I could to recover and come back strong as before, or stronger,” Winters said. “So, with not being able to compete in sports anyway, it wasn’t as bad.
“I definitely missed being at school and seeing my friends every day though.”
Soon, she will be seeing them at practice — and not as a spectator.
Winters is participating in conditioning for both volleyball and basketball. Mark puts her through extra paces as well to get her ready.
She’s just waiting on the on clearance from her doctor to return to full participation.
“It’s going great,” Mady said. “We’ve started conditioning, and so far, everything is going well.
“If everything goes as planned, I should be getting cleared to play soon, and I am so excited for that!”
With her decision out of the way, Winters can now focus on getting healthy and enjoying her final seasons at Magnolia.
She still intends to compete in basketball and track after volleyball is over.
“It is definitely nice having the weight of that decision off my shoulders,” Winters said. “I know what I’m going to do and what I have going on in the future.
“Now I can work on just getting better and getting ready for my freshman year at Wheeling.”
