Northwestern, Yale, Chicago, Purdue. All prestigious academic institutions. They're also universities that Radford's own Sami Reitz was accepted into to pursue her PhD in chemistry.

It would be easy, upon reading that fact, to assume that Sami was a bench warmer for Radford volleyball, studiously pursuing academic excellence while happening upon Division I-athlete status. But that's not only a major oversimplification, it's also far from the truth.

A four-year letter winner, Sami ranked in the top five on the team in blocks and kills for three consecutive seasons, even leading the Highlanders outright in kills during her junior season. Though to stop at her athletic achievements would be selling her short too, as her post-graduate pursuits prove. So, how did Sami Reitz end up at Radford, and what did she do while here that led her to such great heights in academia?

It began with an ill-fated, literally, visit to Radford as a high school junior. "I was actually really sick, I had tonsilitis," said Reitz. "On my visit Marci [Byers] let me sleep on a couch in her office… You would think you would hate the school you were dealing tonsilitis in but I actually just loved it – I only remember loving Radford and feeling like I was home here. It was an automatic connection." 

Normally, a visit under those circumstances would doom a recruitment, but for Sami, the love she felt for Radford and the hospitality she received from then-Head Coach Byers only drew her in and made her want to be a Highlander.

It would be Byers, too, who pushed Sami towards academic excellence. Of course, she was always predisposed to want academic success, but her coach made her reach for more. It was her support system that realized, though a 70 may be the highest in the class, Sami can still strive for greater heights.

That encouragement allowed Sami to see what she is capable of and gave her the confidence to take on greater responsibilities and seek more opportunities. Once she did that, the sky was the limit. So, ultimately, it should not be a surprise that Sami got into those great academic institutions. The more you know about Sami, it would almost be more surprising if she did not get in.

While at Radford, Sami did not stop at being a full-time student and a successful student athlete, she still managed to find time for extracurriculars. Starting her freshman year, Sami was a part of REALISE, a club which aims to grow inclusion in science. According to their webpage: "REALISE aims to change faculty and student mindset through developing and implementing engaging and inclusive pedagogies."

Sami was also a member of the physics club during her time at Radford, even being elected the club's vice president for her junior year. On top of all of that, from sophomore year on, Sami found the time to be a Teacher's Assistant for physics and chemistry classes.

If this seems to be a greater amount of work and achievement than the norm, rest assured, it is. For that, Sami credits not only her coaches but her advisor Dr. Rhett Herman who not only allowed, but encouraged her to take on a more challenging course load.

Sami concedes that the course load was a lot, but that volleyball—the process of being a division one athlete served as a sort of outlet for her. "I think being a DI athlete provided an external punching bag, if that makes sense," she says. "I was able to get out a lot of frustration and work out my body and let my brain take a break to be on the court and focus for those hours—it was a different type of brain work."

Now, Sami wraps up her undergraduate career. She is no longer a division one athlete, though she will always be a Highlander. Now, after four years in Radford, Sami gets to pursue what's next. Yes, she has been accepted to Yale, but she hasn't committed anywhere just yet. 

A native of St. Louis, Mo., Sami would like to come closer to home. She says that outside of the Ivy League, that desire helped fuel where she applied for her PhD pursuits.

Wherever Sami does go, she will be heading to a top-10 institution in the field. Only one thing is guaranteed: Sami Reitz is going to continue to do great things.