Women's Track and Field

Southern Wesleyan and Jami Wright Both Transform During Her Time on Campus

Wright NCAA

This is the continuation of a series of Body, Mind & Soul stories that highlights member student-athletes, coaches and administrators of Conference Carolinas.

CENTRAL, S.C. - It’s been 14 years since a Conference Carolinas student-athlete has been chosen as a finalist for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award. 

Then again, a human comet the likes of Jami Wright might light up the sky only once in a blue moon.

Three-time All-America. Conference Carolinas Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2020. Conference Carolinas Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2021. USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year this past outdoor season. Fastest 200-meter time in NCAA Division II and seventh-fastest time in the nation, all divisions, this past spring.

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Member of the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll. Graduated with a career 3.74 grade-point average as a religion major. Currently carrying a 4.0 GPA halfway through her Master’s work in human resources.

Not enough?

Found Jesus as a Southern Wesleyan freshman and was baptized--in the school’s steeplechase pit, no less--and now serves as a Pastoral Resident at ALIVE Wesleyan Church near the campus in Central. Has committed her life to Christ. In a full-circle moment, she baptized one of her teammates. 

Wright, one of the most competitive and popular student-athletes in Conference Carolinas history, was considered for one of the most impressive awards in all of the NCAA.

The NCAA Woman of the Year award recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

For those people who know her, including her Southern Wesleyan head track & field Coach Greg Thiel, it came as no surprise that Wright was named one of 30 finalists for the coveted accolade. 

To illustrate the rarified air in which she now resides, Wright was chosen from 535 school nominees nationwide. That group was narrowed down to 30 finalists, composed of 10 student-athletes from each of the three NCAA divisions.  

“I’d take 10 Jami Wrights if I could get them,” gushed Thiel recently. “But you only get one of them every 10 years or so.”

wright ncaas
Wright ended her collegiate career at Southern Wesleyan as one of the most decorated student-athletes in school history.

A native of Stafford, Virginia, Wright is the first award finalist from Conference Carolinas since Mount Olive’s volleyball star Samantha Mitchell earned the honor during the 2007-08 academic year.

“I got the email from the NCAA and I just looked at it,” said Wright about becoming a finalist. “I read it and said to myself, “there’s no way.’ It was so cool, though. It made me think about all of the support from my school and conference. They believed in me. So many people out of my sphere who supported me.”

Born into a military family, Jami attended North Stafford High School in a small community 45 miles outside of Washington, D. C. Her father, Martin Lewis, served 30 years in the U.S. Marines, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel at Quantico Marine Base in Triangle, Virginia.

Her father, who was deployed overseas six times, including stints in both Iraq and Afghanistan, retired two years ago and now teaches at the Defense Acquisition University in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Wright's grandfather and uncle also have served in the U.S. Navy, while sisters Captain Elaine Lewis (27) and Sergeant Molly Lewis (26) are currently serving in the Marine Corps. In fact, Molly just returned from Afghanistan after the Kabul Airport attack that killed 13, including one of her close friends.

The family moved often during her childhood. Wright was born in Charleston, South Carolina before relocating to such places as 29 Palms, California, Fairfax, Virginia and Jacksonville, North Carolina. In high school, her sprinter speed in the 200 and 400 meters led to her becoming the 5A Outdoor 4x4 State Champion her junior year and 5A Indoor 4x4 State Champion as a senior.

Many colleges took note of Wright’s prowess on the track, including NCAA Division I Xavier University of Ohio, and several other universities such as High Point, Charleston Southern and Southern Wesleyan.

“It’s so funny, because SWU was kind of an outlier school for me,” admitted Wright. “I wanted to go to a small school, but not as small as SWU. But when I visited, the culture and everything was so different. It just felt more genuine. I knew I wasn’t going to be just a number there.”

Little did she know the immense impact Southern Wesleyan would have on the rest of her life.

Wright ITF
Wright receives the 2020 Conference Carolinas Indoor Track Athlete of the Year award from Commissioner Chris Colvin.

The many aforementioned accomplishments Wright achieved on the track were certainly not a given, considering the injuries she had to overcome during her collegiate career.

As a freshman, a severely sprained ankle caused her to miss a couple of meets. Then the next year, she began to experience chronic foot pain which would require surgery to remove bone spurs in her right ankle in the fall of her junior year. She wore a boot for two weeks before returning to the sport she loved.

Her physical travails were not over, however. As a senior, Jami again felt pain in her right foot. She underwent another surgery to remove bone spurs in a different part of her ankle, and this time she had to wear a cast for three weeks followed by another two weeks in a boot. Miraculously, she did not miss any track meets.

Coach Thiel describes the Jekyll-and-Hyde persona Wright has on and off the track.

“She really hates to lose,” he said. “Every year she had nagging injuries but worked so hard and showed such grit. She willed herself to be great.”  

Thiel just marvels at Wright’s competitiveness, both in her preparation and on-track performances.

“She’s really a beast in the weight room,” he said. “Everything she does is full throttle. She runs angry. She’s a linebacker. You don’t want to be ahead of her."  

Wright admits she’s guilty as charged.

“Coach has called me a lot of things, because I do hate to lose,” she grins. “I was born with that one. That’s real.”

“Sometimes, you have to hold her back,” Thiel said. “She’s a team-first leader who wants to compete in as many events as she can to get points for her teammates. She’s a very special person.”

Yet, Wright displayed an entirely different personality outside of sports.  

“She’s so kind and giving,” says her coach. “She’s encouraged so many people and truly cares about them.” 

A seminal moment in Wright’s young life occurred in the first month of her freshman year when she joined other classmates in attending Coach Thiel’s weekly bible studies.

“Although I grew up going to church, I wasn’t that ‘Jesus kid’ when I came to SWU,” shared Wright. “Morgan Haney, a junior on the track team, told me the bible studies were awesome and that I should go.”

Wright was already sold on her coach, someone who himself had found Jesus after a self-confessed early life of partying and now was an unabashed Christian disciple.

“I loved coach Theil from the second I met him,” Jami added. “I trusted him and his bible studies lived up to their reputation. Everyone was so inviting”.  

In one of her early bible studies, the discussion triggered something deep inside Wright.

“They were talking about joy, and what’s the difference between joy and happiness”  

That’s when Coach Thiel asked her about her relationship with Jesus. 

“I said, ‘Are you good?’ She said, ‘I’m good.’”

But later that day, Wright became very emotional about that encounter and decided to visit the coach’s office.

The All-America sprinter remembers it like it was yesterday.

“I kept telling myself that I was just stressed and overthinking, but the feeling would not go away,” she said. “I knew I had to go back. I was just crying and crying and crying. I don’t remember the whole exchange, but I do remember Coach Thiel telling me, ‘You’re ready for this. Jesus is calling.’”

Three weeks later, University Chaplain Ken Dill baptized Wright after her afternoon practice. As has become customary since Coach Thiel’s arrival on campus, she was submerged in water held by the steeplechase at the track.

Thiel said he could see a profound change in Wright, the person, following the baptism and the years that have followed. 

“She has a quiet peace and confidence,” he said. “She was so fiery as a track competitor and it always defined who she was. Now that competitiveness is there to talk to people and share her faith. She knows the journey is far more important than the result. Jami sees a bigger picture. Life is so much more than this thing called track.”

Wright Wedding

Wright’s new-found relationship with the Lord also led her to a life partner. That freshman season, Jami noticed a junior long and triple jumper on the Warriors’ men’s track & field team. His name was Roman Wright, and he shared her love in Christ.

“We were just friends then, but I always liked him,” she said. “He was funny and charming, and so interesting to me. Like nobody else I had ever met. A lot of it was his confidence. He knew who he was and wasn’t afraid of it. I loved that about. I definitely had a crush on him.”

Upon graduation, Roman relocated to Georgia to work for a company called PLAE, which designed and built athletic facilities around the country. He returned to Central when PLAE opened an office near the Southern Wesleyan campus.

Soon, the romance went into full bloom, and by the end of Jami’s junior year at SWU, they were married. Initially the couple moved into an off-campus apartment. However, Roman was named strength and conditioning coach/assistant track & field coach under Thiel in February 2020 and last summer they purchased their first home in Central.

Jami clearly loves being married.

“I just love it!” she said. “I’m on campus a lot less, but I get to go home every night to my husband!”

With plans to start a family soon, Jami has spurned any thoughts of pursuing a spot on a future U.S. Olympic Team--a legitimate goal considering her spring times. 

“While it was a great dream, it just isn’t the life for me,” she admits. “Physically and emotionally, there just is nothing left for me to give. It just wasn’t sustainable. Plus, I’m ready for my next chapter in life.”

Wright Preaching

That next chapter is more than being a wife. It’s also becoming an instrument for Christ.

“Halfway through my sophomore year, I felt a pretty clear calling to the ministry,” she revealed. “I didn't yet  know what to do with it, but I knew it was my path.”

Jami credits her experience working at a Christian youth summer camp during her undergrad years as a catalyst towards the ministry.

“SWU sent a team to the camp, which was run by the Never The Same organization (www.neverthesame.org),” she added. “We packed up two trucks with about 25 people and traveled to New York, South Dakota and Indiana. I oversaw their recreation activities.”

Those summers led to Wright serving a youth group, sixth through 12th graders, in Central during her junior and senior years at Southern Wesleyan.

“It gave me a plan, because I knew I wanted to work in a church some day,” she said. “Being in that capacity is my sweet spot.”

That day came sooner than expected, as she was hired as a Pastoral Resident at ALIVE Wesleyan Church in Central.

For Coach Thiel, there are two aspects of Jami Wright that stand out the most in his mind.

First, it’s the unselfishness and leadership that characterized Wright’s tenure on campus.

“I tell the story about when she was a sophomore,” the coach said. “We’re at our conference championships and Jami is so far ahead of anybody else in the 400 meters and finishes four seconds better than her nearest competitor. But an official said that she stepped on the line and must be disqualified.

“In that situation, most people would be so self-absorbed and be a cancer to the team. She was just the opposite. I know she was crying inside, but she was all about the team. She didn’t sulk on the sidelines. She was right in the front cheering her teammates in the 400 finals. Everybody was watching her. You talk about leadership.” 

When asked about that incident, Wright just shrugged.

“I was heartbroken when I was told I was disqualified,” she said. “It hurt. But I shed my tears and let it out. There was nothing more I could do. I didn’t want to waste my time. I get plenty of attention at meets.  I was okay for this one meet and got to celebrate with others; just being a teammate.”

Wright Baptism Photo

But Thiel’s greatest moment came at the steeplechase last year. Wright turned the tables and served as the baptizer instead of the baptized. She performed the honors of baptizing SWU sophomore track athlete Hannah Hall.

“Jami was the ideal person to do it,” Thiel smiles with pride. “I was crying at the baptism. If I died today, this is my most cherished moment. It represented a full circle of everything. The great athlete, the great person, now impacting someone for eternity. I remember texting her afterwards, saying my heart is so full. God orchestrated all of this.”

Wright knows that none of this would have been possible if she had not chosen to attend Southern Wesleyan five years ago.

"The one thing that people know about me is that I love SWU. This school changed my life. The opportunities I had were unimaginable. My love for people has grown so much here because attending a small school where you might have 12 students in a classroom instead of 400 in a lecture hall really makes a difference. I will forever love this university. It's been good to me and it still is.”

Jami Wright unfortunately now knows that she will not advance further in the NCAA Woman of the Year selection, but as far as Coach Thiel is concerned, the final results have already been counted.

“No matter what happens, I know she’s the Woman of the Year. That’s because I know the story. She’s already won. She’s got Jesus.”

Learn more about how track & field changed Wright's life here.

Bob Rose is a longtime sports public relations executive who has worked for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, the NFL Cardinals, Cal, Stanford and other organizations. Bob works with Assistant Commissioner for External Relations Brian Hand and the entire Conference Carolinas office to help tell the stories of the tremendous student-athletes, coaches and administrators in Conference Carolinas. 

Wright Youth Group
Wright is living her calling daily working as a Pastoral Resident at ALIVE Wesleyan Church in Central, South Carolina.