Sports historians will know the name Babe Didrikson Zaharias. She was voted by the Associated Press as the ninth greatest athlete of the 20th century – and number one among females. Didrikson seemed to do everything well when it came to sports. She began as a high-level amateur basketball player, then came to fame in track and field winning multiple gold medals at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. A year later, she took up golf – at the age of 22 – and within a few years was the most dominant women’s golfer. Didrikson played every sport she tried at an expert level, and set numerous records along the way.
Oxford senior Haley Witchella is doing her best Babe Didrikson impression this spring as a member of the Blackhawks’ track and field team.
Witchella excelled the past four years on the varsity soccer and basketball teams. In the latter of those two sports, she became the school’s second all-time leading girls scorer. The previous three springs, Witchella played on the varsity golf team, and if she had played again this year, she would have likely been one of the top two players. Instead, Witchella made her intentions known to members of the track and field team that she intended to switch sports. “I didn’t recruit her. When kids have been involved in another sport, I don’t try to take them away from that,” said Oxford’s longtime track and field coach, Irene DeJager. “A lot of kids say they want to come out for track, but I usually don’t believe it until they actually show up to practice on the first day.”
Witchella indeed showed up for practice in early March, and has put together the type of season reminiscent of 2001 Oxford graduate, Mike Chrystie. Chrystie, came out for the track team in his senior year, and went on to win a state championship. He was a one-year wonder, and Witchella fits that moniker as well.
Earlier this week, Witchella set a school record in winning the Section IV pentathlon championship. Earlier this year, she earned outstanding field performer awards at the S-E Invitational and Parkhurst Invitational. She has rewrote the Oxford record books setting four new individual school records, and is our choice today as Smith Ford LLC, Giant’s Warehouse/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“She’s just an all-around natural athlete. She’s easy to get along with and very coachable,” DeJager said. “She’s a visual learner. You show her one thing, and she does it just like that. She’s been an outstanding, exceptional addition to the team.”
Speaking of “just like that,” Witchella was just messing around with the discus in practice, and had not learned any basic technique until last week. She placed second in the discus at the Midstate Athletic Conference meet a week ago. This past Wednesday, DeJager and Witchella decided to try the discus again. This time, Witchella was not denied. Her toss of 108-feet, 2-inches shattered the school record, and easily gave her a first-place finish. In just a week’s time, Witchella has one of the best discus throws in Section IV. Witchella is also among the best around in the shot put and discus. Oh, and she is part of Oxford’s 400-meter relay along with state champions Katie and Emily Woodford – who shared a state title in the relay in 2009 – and Jessica Russo. “She is just such an exceptional athlete, it plays into her ability to perform so well in several different areas,” DeJager said. “She is a very strong young woman. We’ve taught her some basic stuff (with shot put and discus), and she has picked it right up.”
Witchella’s versatility as an athlete is unquestioned, and she will compete in four events at the Section IV state qualifier next week in Binghamton. DeJager has Witchella entered in the shot put, discus, high jump, and 400-meter relay. Witchella will give up years of experience to the top competitors in each event, but gives away nothing in natural ability and talent. “I definitely think Haley Witchella will be someone to watch at the state qualifier,” DeJager said.