Erie High School in the last few years has been known to be the home of many talented athletes, and senior Myla Wilkes is no different. D1 commit for track and field to CU Boulder, Wilkes is going to be a great addition to the Buffs team starting in fall of ‘24, and she will leave a legacy at Erie for years to come. 

Wilkes is committed to Colorado University of Boulder to run for their track and field team, as she is currently planning on going to school as an english major, but she may switch to business.

From before she can remember, Wilkes has always dreamed of becoming a D1 athlete. She explains, “that dream kind of died out because it’s really hard to be a D1 athlete, and it just honestly happened to be that I was good at track.” 

As humble as she is, the head track coach Brandon Havard has always seen the potential Wilkes has brought to the table. He mentions, “I knew before we even made it to state that she was going to surprise a lot of people, and they had no idea what was in store for them.” 

Being the track coach for the last seven years, Havard has plenty of experience in adapting his coaching style to how each individual athlete will strive on the field. Wilkes highly appreciates this coaching style, because “he pushes me but also knows how to respect my boundaries,” adding “he has been a great support through my entire track career.”

Wilkes is seen as an athlete that has a strong competitive nature, which is an important factor in being successful once you get to the college level. Havard notes on Wilkes’ competitive spirit, “she will not act like she is going to lose when she steps onto the track. When she is determined to do something, she is going to do it.”

As it turns out, she can do it, because to end the 2023 season, as a junior, Wilkes won the 200 meter dash for the 5A state girls, as well as taking first in long jump and placing third in the 100 meter dash. 

Not only is Wilkes known to be a star athlete, but also a star teammate. Along with running for track and field, she was on the Erie volleyball team for her whole highschool career, being on varsity her junior and senior seasons. Being in this team community through multiple sports has helped Wilkes grow as a person, and her teammates admire her for how much she brings to every team she plays on.

Junior Sutton Sales is also a varsity volleyball star, as well as runs track, so she has gotten to witness Wilkes in her element first-hand. Sales explains, “Myla is very encouraging and motivating, and just a lot of fun to be around,” continuing, “we have been friends since my freshman year, and there hasn’t been a moment where she hasn’t been there for me, both in sports but also in our outside lives.”

Even though Wilkes continues to prove her motivation and dedication towards both of her sports, her senior seasons have sadly been cut short due to her tearing her ACL and meniscus in a volleyball game this past fall. It has stopped her from running in her senior track season, as Wilkes describes her injury as a “rough recovery,” but she is improving every day. The injury won’t affect her running for CU this next year, but it ended her high school season before she was ready to say goodbye.

With graduation so close, all of Wilkes teammates and coaches are sad to see her leave, but excited to follow her through the next chapter of her career. Sales emphasizes, “It’s going to be so hard playing without her next year, and words can’t express how much I’m going to miss her.”