Melanie Vertrees believed her future was in gymnastics and cheerleading.
And while the Kent-Meridian standout did her share of flips, twists, turns and jumps during the last four years, none came on a mat or on the sidelines of an athletic event.
Instead, the quick and agile Vertrees did just about every other athletic endeavor offered in high school, earning 12 varsity letters spread among five different sports, and qualifying for state in two different sports.
Yet, while the 5-foot-9 standout has done plenty athletically to separate herself from the pack, she has proven to be even better — if that’s possible — in the classroom. How much better?
Vertrees, who has been enrolled in Running Start at Green River Community College the last two years, needed just one credit this school year to graduate. In addition, she will leave Kent-Meridian with a near perfect 3.898 grade-point average, which ranks 10th among all graduating seniors.
Not bad for a kid who competed on a varsity team every quarter of every year of her prep career.
How did she do it?
“A lot of sacrifices. I always put academics first because I know sports might not always last,” said Vertrees, who ran cross country last fall, played basketball during the winter, and was among the state’s truly elite athletes on the track in the spring. “I always stayed focused on what I had to do. Academics always has been my No. 1 priority.”
Because of all she was able to accomplish in the classroom and in the athletic arena, Vertrees has been chosen as the Kent Reporter’s Female Athlete of the Year. The K-M standout was selected from a group of 11 Kent School District athletes.
This year alone, there was no stopping Vertrees, who stepped away from volleyball in the fall to try her legs at cross country. In winter, she was back on the basketball court, where she lettered for a fourth straight year, and rank second on the Royals in scoring with a 7.4 points per game average.
But it was in the spring when Vertrees truly made her mark, qualifying for state in four track and field events: the high jump, triple jump, shot put, and 100-meter hurdles. The high jump proved to be Vertrees’ best as she brought home a state silver medal after clearing 5 feet, 8 inches.
“She has been the backbone of the program for four years,” said K-M coach Ernie Ammons. “She has a competitiveness and a drive to be the best. She has never settled for anything but No. 1.”
In fact, Vertrees is No. 1 in the K-M record books in many events, including the high jump (5-10), triple jump (37-4.25) and javelin (119-8).
“Melanie is definitely a leader and a role model. She has worn every shoe you could wear,” Ammons added.
Indeed.
While her letters this school year were in cross country, basketball and track, she also lettered in volleyball and swimming while at K-M. Matter of fact, she also qualified for state swimming when she was a freshman.
Despite all that athletic versatility, Vertrees never would have imagined the road ahead when she was growing up.
“The funny thing is, I was a gymnast for most of my life,” said Vertrees, who verbally committed to Washington State University in April, but will take a trip to Indiana University and the University of Washington next week. “Then I started cheering in eighth grade and thought I would be a cheerleader.”
Instead, Vertrees blossomed into one of the best and most well-rounded athletes K-M has ever produced, one who delivered a 5-10 mark in the high jump at the district meet, which at the time ranked eighth in the nation.
Of course, none of that was a surprise to Jerri Robinson, who coached Vertrees at Sequoia Middle School.
The first time Robinson saw Vertrees, she knew.
“I saw this kid do a bound (a warm-up) and she jumped so high that I thought, ‘Oh my god, here’s this kid in eighth grade and she’s jumping this high,'” said Robinson. “At that point, I knew I had something special.
Time hasn’t altered Robinson’s thinking.
“She is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete,” Robinson said. “A person like her doesn’t come around too often. And I knew in my heart that this kid had it. I have seen some amazing athletes, but have never seen someone as amazing as this child. She can do so many things.”
Vertrees proved as much this past weekend, breezing to the heptathlon title in the Washington State Combined Events championship at Lake Stevens High. Vertrees tallied 4,624 points in the seven-event meet, considerably ahead of second-place Katrina Chamberlain of La Center.
But, as expected, Vertrees’ track and field season didn’t end with the meet in Lake Stevens. She will be competing in the Harry Jerome International Classic at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, B.C. this Sunday.
As for gymnastics and track, those have long been forgotten for Vertrees.
“After I stopped doing gymnastics, I thought I was going to go to college for basketball,” she said. “But last year, I decided track was my real love. What you put in, you get out. You don’t have to rely on teammates or coaches. If you mess up, it’s your fault. If you do well, you get all the benefit.”
And K-M has received from Melanie Vertrees the last four years.
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