Blessed for Success

Two transfer students have brought renewed faith to track and field. Sprinter Trae Armstrong and thrower Chase Sammons say that it was a divine road that led them to the University of Oklahoma.

“If it wasn't for The Lord I wouldn't be where I am,” said Sammons, who grew up a Sooner fan. “This is where I wanted to come originally [because] both of my parents went to school here.”

Sammons and Armstrong alike are building their own legacy. With the immediate impact both are having as Sooners, it seems a match made in heaven. Both Sammons and Armstrong earned spots in the school's all-time Top-10 during their first meet wearing crimson and cream.

Sammons, 22, who transferred from the University of Tulsa in 2013 looking for a change, threw a meet-winning 62-03.00 in shot put at this year's J.D. Invitational home meet. That mark pushed him to No. 2 all-time at OU. Sammons then set another personal record with a 62-11.50 to win the Razorback Invitational, the third meet of the indoor.

“It's pretty cool,” said Sammons. “Track here is pretty competitive just being in the Big 12 Conference and it's definitely made me step up.”

Sammons, an Oklahoma native, said that his current success is due to his family, his coach, and his God.

“I have a lot of people praying for me and I know it's been because of that,” Sammons said. “And I've been blessed to have someone who I think is the best coach in the country, Coach Blu(treich). He's helped me greatly.”

If it wasn't for The Lord I wouldn't be where I am. This is where I wanted to come originally [because] both of my parents went to school here.
Chase Sammons

Despite holding the school record at Tulsa in the weight throw (50-07.08) and shot put (51-03.50), Blutreich said that Sammons needed to relearn a few things to maximize his potential.

“We knew he had quite a bit of talent but he had to go through a big learning process for him, He was doing kind of opposite of what he needed to do,” said Blutreich, who is in his eighth year at OU. “It took a lot of painstaking time but he's starting to see the benefits of it.”

Sammons agreed, “From day one he broke me down to square one and really rebuilt who I was as a thrower. It's pretty amazing to see,” he added. “I know I look and throw completely differently than I did.”

Sammons redshirted last season after suffering a hand injury. While his competitiveness made him eager to return to throwing, his faith made him appreciate and utilize the year off to work on his craft.

“It was easy to stay motivated because I knew my competition was competing,” Sammons said. “It was a good learning experience. I learned something new every day.”

Armstrong's experience was a bit different but also needed family support and prayer. Leaving his home state and the program of his childhood dreams, Arizona State University, forced Armstrong to make some critical decisions about the future of his collegiate track career.

“I prayed a lot,” Armstrong said. “I've had endless nights where I'd just cry and I didn't know what to do anymore. And I feel like God answered my prayers.”

As fate would have it, Armstrong ran right into the seventh spot of OU's all-time top 10 with his 6.75 time in the 60-meter dash in the Sooners' first meet of the 2015 indoor season.

“When I was at Arizona State, I lost a lot of confidence. I thought maybe I wasn't meant to run track anymore,” Armstrong said. “Coming here and breaking into the top 10 made me realize that I'm better than I thought I was.”

A strong faith was instilled in Armstrong from childhood. His father, a preacher, made sure Trae and his nine siblings were always present in church.

“Growing up, we were in church a lot,” said Armstrong, the second youngest in his family. “I'm a firm believer in God and I'm sure He's blessed me with talents.”

Ironically, both Armstrong and Sammons' first love was football. Track and field was just an off-season pastime until they could return to the gridiron. According to Sammons, divine intervention led him to a different field.

“I had a couple of injuries in high school and I felt like the Lord was tugging me to just go do track,” said Sammons who played quarterback and defensive end in high school. “It was kind of weird. It just wasn't working out and I think the Lord had other plans for me.”

Growing up, we were in church a lot. I'm a firm believer in God and I'm sure He's blessed me with talents.
Trae Armstrong

Armstrong recalls losing races a lot when he and his siblings would race down the street for fun. All that changed in high school when he finished at the top of the list for many colleges after he ran a 10.26 in the 100-meter dash. Armstrong also won three consecutive state championships in high school in the 100- and 200-meter races. He added back-to-back state titles in the 400 meter dash.

“We have had some good sprinters here historically so for him to go in the Top 10 his first race is really promising,” said Kevin Tyler, assistant coach for sprints, hurdles, and relays. “His leadership has been his biggest impact. He encourages the rest of the kids to work hard, come to practice on time, and focus.”

For Armstrong, 20, looking back over his life and career has deepened his faith. His presence at OU has only strengthened his trust in God.

“There are times I look at things I've accomplished and I think there's just no way a normal human can do that by themselves,” said Armstrong, a communications major. “For the most part, things are going really well in my life. I accredit it to God because I don't think I could accomplish these things if it wasn't for Him.”

The instant gratification, however, is not enough to satiate their hunger. Not only do their respective coaches see more potential, but Armstrong and Sammons say they will continue to fight the good fight.

“There's still a lot of work to do,” Armstrong said. “It means a lot that the coaches offered me [a scholarship] after not running fast for a couple years. It shows that they have faith in me.”

“I think it's really important to get Trae's mechanics right so that he's in a position to excel across all three events,” Tyler said. “That would make him have a very big impact across the team.”

Both student-athletes say they want to continue to help the Sooners excel. And with mountainous expectations, standing firm in their beliefs helps them keep perspective.

“I'm just trusting the Lord whether I do good or don't do as good,” Sammons said. “It's all in the Lord's hands.”

-- By Akilah Laster, Graduate Assistant, OU Athletics Communications