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Izzy Roundtree, a standout sprinter for Champaign Central, faced a significant setback due to hip injuries but is now returning to competition with renewed determination.
May 5—CHAMPAIGN — Izzy Roundtree joined the Champaign Central girls' varsity track and field team as a freshman and was immediately one of the fastest sprinters across all of Illinois, finishing 16th in the 100-meter dash and 17th in the 200 while leading off the Maroons' runner-up 400- and 800-meter relay teams at the 2023 Class 2A state meet.
It was something Central sprints coach Caleb Ball said "we don't see very often," and she got even better her sophomore season. The Maroons got bumped up to 3A, and Roundtree got faster in her individual events, placing 20th in the 100 and 21st in the 200 at state.
Going into her junior year, Roundtree had her eyes on the podium. With how quickly she was progressing, an All-State medal was certainly on the table, but an injury leading up to the outdoor season derailed what was shaping up to possibly be a historic spring.
Roundtree suffered labral tears in both of her hips in January 2025, sidelining her for the next 14 months.
"At first, it was definitely confusing, and I didn't know all the details," Roundtree said. "I kind of had to take it as a sign that my body was telling me I needed to rest. That helped me take things into a new perspective. I was like, 'I'm not going to be running, so how can I find myself useful elsewhere?' It made me more eager to get back into competing again."
Roundtree had surgery to repair her labrums last May and had a second operation to reconstruct her hip soon after. Next week's sectional meet in O'Fallon on May 13 will mark one year since her first surgery. By that time, she will have already been competing for a month and a half.
Roundtree made her return on March 31 at Monticello. Her only event of the day was the 100, and she made it count, winning the race in 12.63 seconds.
"I had so many mixed emotions," Roundtree said. "Nobody knew what was going to happen. It was so unpredictable, like, 'How fast am I going to be? Am I even going to be able to finish?' Even just warming up was a breath of fresh air. It was crazy to be back, going from not being able to walk to sprinting 100 percent a year later. I was like, 'Wow, I can't believe I'm back.' Stepping up to the line, I was looking down at the finish, and I was so ready. At the end, I was so emotional because I never thought I'd get back to this point. It was just such a big moment for me mentally to know that I could be back. It was just such a wave of emotions."
Right along with her, Roundtree said, "everyone was crying." That included fellow senior sprinter Ava Clark, who was one of the first to greet her after she crossed the finish line, wrapping her in a big hug as tears ran down her face.
"Watching Izzy run for the first time since her surgery was a surreal experience," Clark said. "Seeing her back in her element made me so happy. She's one of the strongest people I know, and I'm so proud of how far she's come."
The Maroons hosted the Central Invite for their senior night on April 25 — Roundtree contributed to the team victory by winning the 100 and anchoring the winning 400-meter relay — and during senior night festivities, Clark revealed that Roundtree's return to competition was her favorite track memory.
Izzy Roundtree suffered labral tears in both of her hips, which kept her out of competition for 14 months.
At the 2023 Class 2A state meet, Roundtree finished 16th in the 100-meter dash and 17th in the 200, while also leading her relay teams to a runner-up finish.
Izzy Roundtree aims to win an All-State medal during her junior year after showing significant improvement in her sprinting times.
During her recovery, Roundtree focused on finding ways to be useful outside of running, which helped her gain a new perspective on her situation.
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"She was the one who made me start to cry," Roundtree said. "The emotions were already high on senior night, and hearing that from her, I was just thinking about how grateful I was for my teammates."
Because her teammates helped her through her entire recovery process. When Roundtree was on bedrest after her surgeries, she said the support was "amazing." Her teammates would visit consistently, and seeing her in bed all hooked up to machines, they made sure she was OK both physically and mentally.
Once she finally got back on her feet, even though she wasn't back to running, she was still a big part of last year's team. This was her chance to support her teammates after they did the same for her.
"I was kind of like an honorary assistant coach," Roundtree said with a laugh. "I came to practice and made them do all of their push-ups. I still loved to watch them compete and get better. Even though I wasn't competing, it was almost just as satisfying to watch them get better and still be part of a team."
They all knew how great Roundtree was on the track, but now, everyone knew she could coach a little bit, too. Sarah Donahoe, another fellow senior sprinter, said Roundtree timed them and made sure their rest periods weren't running too long.
"She was on top of it but also very encouraging," Donahoe said. "Her impact has been immediate since she's been back. Her leadership has shown, and she's just been a great example for everyone. She's been so dedicated, and that's been great to see. We had been there through the whole process, and we felt so happy for her that she could go out and compete."
Sitting out last spring was a learning experience for Roundtree. She's not the most outspoken member of the team, but stepping into more of a coaching role for a season helped build her leadership skills to the point where Ball said "Coach Roundtree was a vital piece of the team last year."
But getting Roundtree back this season reminded the Maroons just how much they missed her and the placement points that came with her. She's run the 100 six times, winning half of them and taking second twice, and she's helped the 400-meter relay team to another five top-two finishes.
Her times are also getting closer to those from the end of her sophomore campaign. Roundtree's season-best 100 time of 12.46 seconds isn't far off of her personal record of 12.02, a progression Ball said was nowhere near his expectation.
"I didn't expect her to come back as strong as she has," Ball said. "We just expected to get her running again. I was just going to be happy to see her on a track competing. That's all that mattered to me. I wanted to make sure she got in a few races and stayed healthy, so she could go on and continue her college career. I viewed her senior season as the stepping stone to get her back to being competitive for the next level. She came back and was hitting the times she was at freshman year, and she's almost right back to where she was sophomore year. That's more than we could have ever asked for, and it just shows how determined she is and vital of a piece to any team she would be."
Before she was back to running, Roundtree committed to continue her track career at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in October. Before she gets there, however, she has one more goal in mind. An All-State medal may not be as likely anymore, but Ball said it "would not be a high-paying bet" for her to make one last go-around on that iconic blue track at Eastern Illinois University's O'Brien Field in late May.
"That's my big goal is making it to state this year," Roundtree said. "Even if it doesn't happen, I'm still determined to try. I would love to make it in a relay, too. That would be super fun."