Roundtree returns with spring in her step: 'I never thought I'd get back to this point'

"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."