THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Saturday, May 9, 2015

Just a few weeks before she'll attempt to three-peat as champion in the 200-meter dash at the state 5A track and field meet at Dona Larsen Park in Boise, Lake City High senior Maddison (Maddi) Ward was dealing with a nagging injury in one of her legs.

Can it slow her down? Not by her race in the 4x200 meter relay in the 5A Region 1 meet on Thursday at Coeur d'Alene.

Will she be better for it later? She hopes so.

"It's exciting," Ward said. "It kind of feels like deja vu because I've done it so many times. It's nice to have that adrenaline going when you're competing against someone and have a chance to use it."

WARD WAS slowed by a hip injury suffered during practice on April 29, and did not compete at the annual District 1 all-star meet in Post Falls on April 30.

In addition to seeking her third straight state title in the 200, she'll attempt to defend her state title in the 100 when the state meet unfolds next Friday and Saturday.

On Thursday, her first race in a little over two weeks, Ward passed a Coeur d'Alene runner on the anchor leg of the 4x200 relay to win in 1 minute, 44.66 seconds.

"I've been focusing more on the 400, which will help my 200 and 100 times," Ward said. "I've been working on building my endurance and hope it will pay off."

"Regardless of what happens in the next two weeks, she is one of the best sprinters in state history," Lake City coach Kelly Reed said. "She ran the fastest time in the state in the 200. She's an incredible talent and the things she can do on the track are insane."

As a sophomore, Ward won the 200 at regionals in 25.7 seconds and then won the state title in 24.68 the following week.

"She cut almost a full second off her time in less than a week, and nobody does that," Reed said. "I've never coached anybody as close to her in the sprints. She's just physically gifted and runs mechanically perfect. There's no wasted movement with her. She just runs beautifully."

Ward recently signed a letter of intent to continue her track and field career at Idaho State, where she plans to major in dental hygiene.

"I like the hours," Ward said. "I've always wanted to go into something in the medical field, but never wanted to be a doctor or anything like that. Academics for me were a big reason why I went to Idaho State. They offered me the most to come run for them, and they had what I wanted to do academically."

Getting the proper technique and skill to run a skilled race has been taught to her by her grandfather George Ward, who competed at Michigan State.

"My grandpa and grandma have been a big part of my athletic career, and my life," Ward said. "My grandpa grew up in track and coached my aunt. It's been his life and he loves sharing that with his grandchildren and kids."

Ward also took official visits to Idaho, Montana and Boise State before opting to go to Idaho State.

IN ADDITION to being a standout on the track, Ward was also a four-year starter for the Timberwolves' girls soccer team, helping Lake City win a state championship in 2012.

"It's been an awesome four years," Ward said. "We've definitely been blessed. Soccer wise, it really says a lot about the team we had and how well we worked together. With track, it's great. The effort you put in is what you'll get out of it. And it's really shown through."

While another state title or two could help close her storied career, Ward is just focused on what's next.

"It's definitely important for me, but I feel like there's bigger things coming for me," Ward said. "I have so much more on my mind than state that I want to accomplish. Right now, I have an injury, and I really don't want to do anything to hurt my future even worse."

"She's really matured a lot as a senior," Reed said. "Her sophomore and junior year, she was fighting through some injuries. Last year, she broke her leg in the fall and as a sophomore was coming off some stuff. But this year, she's been fantastic. I think she could be the real, real deal. Her leadership and work ethic has been outstanding."

As of right now, she has no plans to also play soccer at Idaho State.

"It's kind of harder to go Division I and do two sports," Ward said. "It's easier to do soccer and then go run because the injury rate lessens that. But when you go from running to soccer, it's higher. And I don't to jeopardize anything by getting injured."

"If she stays healthy and with the college conditioning program, the sky is the limit with her potential," Reed said. "She could be a fantastic college track athlete. She's been a pleasure to coach and brings a fun spark and energy to practice. We'll miss her a lot."

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.