By Thomas Sellers Jr.
The 15th annual Millington Star Female Athlete of the Year Award is heading back to Cougar Town U.S.A. with junior Maiya Reed.
She joins a list of Munford Lady Cougar legends like 2007 winner Whitney Malone. The first non-senior to win the award was Crystal Williams in 2010. Before that Division I softball signee Cali Overbeck was honored in 2008.
In back to back years, Lady Cougar Softball greats and D-I standouts Sami Jo Schulz and Jodie Duncan were victorious. Following them in 2015 was Christian Brothers University signee Maddison Welch.
Then in 2017 basketball star Gabby Crawford used a solid year in track to win the award her junior year.
Now the eighth Lady Cougar to win The Millington Star’s plaque is soccer, basketball and track letterman Reed.
“It feels different,” she acknowledged. “It’s good. Usually I would just win awards throughout the season. And those things that get handed out to everybody. But this is bigger than anything else I’ve ever received.”
Reed said coaches like Stan Jamscek of soccer and Steve Poindexter and Pearl Andrews of basketball helped her reach this milestone. She also credits her other coaches, teammates, sisters Olivia and Mirranda and her three younger brothers.
But the multiple-sports standout said her foundation in athletics and life started with her mother Sonya and father and Navy officer Jesse.
“First of all is my family, the long days, the long nights with me crying,” Maiya recalled. “It gets tough. Then my coaches pushed me too. Especially Coach P. We used to not get along at all. But now he’s like a second father to me.
“When I first started sports, my confidence was very low,” Reed acknowledged. “I just started now believing in myself. It was kind of scary, a lot different from middle school. It was sort of a wake up call.”
As a freshman Coach Stan and Coach P thrust Reed into the lineup and eventually into the starting rotation. Reed established herself as a go-to striker for Munford Soccer since 2017. That same year, the youthful point guard held her own with teammates Deja Potter, Aliyah Lee and Gabby Crawford.
“I’m not sure when I started to come into my own,” she reflected. “Maybe it took a few games.”
As that trio exited the program over the years, the leadership role on the court was handed to Reed.
“I had to get my own and at the same time that wasn’t the focus,” Reed said. “I had to build my team together. It was a bunch of freshmen who had to play. We had a bunch of freshmen on the court. Ciara Spence is one with a lot of potential. She seemed a little nervous. She can be great once she calms down. She started to piece it together.”
Reed said young teammates like Spence and Brezia Cooper will be vital to the championship chase of the Lady Cougars in 2020. Reed has matured into the leading scorer for Munford Hoops and an All-District guard.
She is All-District in scorer and led that squad in scoring as well.
“Middle school it was new to me,” she recalled. “I didn’t have any skills or know really what I was doing. I just used what came natural to me — my speed. I just knew to put the ball into the goal. Then when I got to high school, Coach Stan was the new coach. He just came to the campus and we started to bond.
“He used to always talk to me a bunch during games, before and even after,” Reed continued. “He talked to my mom a bunch about me playing. He always pushed me extra hard. Because he saw something else in me.”
Once again Reed had some doubts on the field in her first three years. But that support system kept pushing her to reach her potential.
“My family really helped,” she said. “They kept pushing me even though I felt like giving up. Even though Coach P doesn’t coach me in soccer, his coaching in basketball and always checking up on me during school always kept me going.”
Reed’s third sport keeps her going. On the Lady Cougar Track team Reed is responsible for the 800m, 4x800m relay and the mile.
“It’s calming and relaxing,” she said of her love of running. “I like to run. When I am out there on the track, it just takes everything away.”
Sometimes Reed needs a break while earning a 3.7 grade point average and being a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
Reed said she is ready to improve in the classroom and on the field of play in 2020-21 to separate herself from all her fellow Lady Cougar Athlete of the Year winners. Reed said her goal will be to improve enough to help her teams and be in position to be the first ever two-time winner of the plaque.
Reed said she knows she’ll have some help along the way.
“They’re (my family) a big part of my success,” Reed concluded. “They pushed me from day one. They kept me going when I didn’t want to play anymore. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here where I am today or where I’m going in the future.”
PAST WINNERS
2006 Whitney Robison Brighton
2007 Amber Gatewood Brighton &
Whitney Malone Munford
2008 Cali Overbeck Munford
2009 Michele Brown Millington
2010 Crystal Williams Munford
2011 Britt Sanford Brighton
2012 Julanne McCommon TRA
2013 Sami Jo Schulz Munford
2014 Jodie Duncan Munford
2015 Maddison Welch Munford
2016 Taylor Beasley TRA
2017 Gabby Crawford Munford
2018 Paige Hall Millington
2019 Abby West TRA
