When you see her blaze past opponents in the 100-meter dash in what seems like an effortless running style, it's obvious that Stella Malouf has the God-given talent to be a great sprinter.
But it's what you can't see - her heart - that makes the Pillow Academy sophomore a state track champion with unlimited potential, says Alex Tsema.
"She's very dedicated and a very hard worker," said Tsema, who coaches the Pillow track team along with his wife, Lubov. "If Stella does something, she does it all the way.
"She never complains about the work and is always focused whether its in practice or a meet or even another sport."
Malouf recently captured her third straight state AAA championship in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.62 seconds - setting the stage for a dominating run that could span five years by the time she graduates.
"I take it one at a time, but now that the season is over, it's at least in my mind," Malouf said of a five-peat in the 100. "It was a great feeling to get three in a row. I give a lot of credit to Alex and Lubov. They work so hard and care so much about all of us."
Malouf won her first state AAA 100 title in 2005 as an eighth-grader and won the event again as a ninth-grader.
Her best time in the 100 came this year in a meet at Washington in 12.3 seconds - which would have tied the state private school record held by three different girls -two from Indianola (1975 and 1978) and another from Canton (1976). But it wasn't in a qualifying meet, so Malouf's time didn't count in the record books.
Tsema believes Malouf will set a new MPSA record in the 100 next year.
"She made tremendous strides from last year, when her best time was 12.91. If she continues to work, wow, she has a big-time possibility to set the record and even break 12 seconds," he said.
Malouf is hungry to break the 100 record.
"When you get so close like I did, it makes you work even harder. That will definitely be a goal of mine next year," she said.
Malouf captured her first state AAA 200-meter crown last weekend with a time of 25.74. She placed third in the 200 in the state event the previous two years.
"She's worked hard to get stronger physically and learned to maintain her speed to the finish line in the 200," Tsema said.
Malouf won a total of four gold medals last weekend as she was also part of two first-place relay teams. She ran the final leg in both the 400 and 800 relays. The PA 800 relay team set a new state AAA record in 1:45.27.
She now has 10 state AAA gold medals.
While Malouf credits a lot of her success to her coaches, she also knows an athletic gene pool is a big help. Her father, Bill Malouf, was a standout athlete at Greenwood High School and played quarterback at Ole Miss. Her brother, Matthew, was a standout athlete at Pillow Academy and Oxford High School and is on scholarship at the University of Memphis as a quarterback.
But it is Stella's aunt, Donna Jeane Norris of Greenwood, who was the track star in the family. Norris started running track on the GHS varsity team as a seventh-grader.
From 1963 to 1966, Norris won four straight state titles in the 50- and 75-yard dashes and the long jump. Including relay events, she finished up with 23 gold medals.
"I have gotten great support from my entire family, but I have heard stories about her from so many people," Malouf said.
"She motivates and inspires me."
Norris loves following her niece's amazing track exploits.
"Her feet barely touch the ground. She's so fun to watch," Norris said. "Our body styles are similar, but she is much more developed muscularly than I was. Over the last two years, she's gotten a lot stronger and you can see that when she's coming out of the blocks.
"We are both like thoroughbreds, the harder we're pushed the harder we run. And we don't like to lose. Also, we both had good coaches. Betty Aden and the late Jim Randall did an excellent job with us, and we all know the job being done (by Alexa and Lubov)."
