Reese heads to College Park
La Plata graduate signs to D-I Maryland for track and field
Since her middle school days at Piccowaxen Middle School, Lillian Reese always worked on her craft to become a top-notch long jumper, hurdler in track and field and a high honors student in the classroom.
Reese went on to have a prolific career in the high school ranks at La Plata High School, boasting a combined four state championships during the indoor and outdoor seasons.
The La Plata graduate will now continue her track and field career at the collegiate level, recently inking her letter of intent to NCAA Division I University of Maryland in College Park.
Reese, who signed two days before the school’s graduation on June 2, mentioned that she was extremely excited to sign with the Terrapins of the Big Ten Conference.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to go to a big Division I school like that. Their basketball team is awesome and they a have huge fanbase for all sports. College sports have always been a big part of my life,” said Reese, who finished with an overall GPA of 4.33 at La Plata. “It’s going to be awesome to compete as a Big Ten athlete.”
While being only an hour away from home, Reese’s family can come watch her compete when the Terrapins have home meets.
“I love sports and growing up my parents raised my sister and I and have a huge impact on my sport,” Reese said. “Being that I’m so close it will make it easy on my family to see me compete and visit sometimes.”
Right after the state indoor championships this past winter, Reese said that she was recruited by Maryland. She went on her official visit to the Maryland campus on March 7.
“I just fell in love with everything about the program,” said Reese, referring to her official visit. “I’m very excited about that as well because one of my incoming freshman teammates is a three-time national champion from the New Balance national meets. Training with someone that is good is going to make a difference for me.”
Reese, who noted that she will compete in multiple events in the pentathlon and heptathlon at Maryland, said that during the track season she trains five days a week and this summer will be doing intense workouts.
“There’s always something to improve in my technique,” she added. “I focus mainly on speed then move into the technical aspects of my jumps driving my knee up to get good height or in the triple [jump] holding my phases and extending them as much as possible.”
During her career with the Warriors, Reese claimed a 3A state outdoor title in the triple jump as a sophomore. As a senior, she was a 2A indoor state champion in the high jump and, during the outdoor season, capped off her career with her second straight state long jump title, also winning in the 3A ranks as a junior.
“I’m ecstatic that she got a scholarship for track,” La Plata head track and field coach Richard Williams said. “Lillian is very self-motivated, a hard worker and is dedicated to her craft. I’m so proud of her.”
Reese was a three-time Southern Maryland Athletic Conference indoor champion in the long jump and two-time SMAC indoor champion in the triple jump. She also was a SMAC outdoor champion in the 100 hurdles this season, also placing runner-up in the state meet at that event as well as a SMAC outdoor champion in the high jump and long jump as a senior.
“Winning state titles was so incredible, especially in indoor because I wasn’t expecting to do as well as I did,” Reese said. “I’ll miss Mr. Williams so much. One of my favorite things about track meets is telling him how I did and him smile. I could not have asked for a better coach. He did a lot for me.”