MISSOULA — Elly Reed's fingerprints are all over Missoula Hellgate athletics the past four years.
A three-sport standout in soccer, basketball and track and field, Reed was thrown in the varsity mix right away as a freshman in all three, and hasn't looked back.
"I think going into high school, sports seemed like a great way to be a part of a community and team and really jump into the Hellgate atmosphere and community," Reed said. "And through doing that, you make friends right away. You are in a very supportive community."
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Reed is also leaving a lasting impact to the school that gave so much to her.
A founder of the Knights Haven Project, Reed and two of her teammates and classmates in Lucy Hutchins and Paisley Johnson founded a fundraising project to update Hellgate's girls locker room for the first time in 50 years.
"We felt like women's sports have grown a lot these past few years and we wanted a space that we felt girls could grow with it and feel comfortable in an environment that they felt like they could succeed in, just feel comfortable in," Reed said. "We really wanted to advocate for the women in our school, so it was a really great opportunity to spread some awareness through the community and just provide a better space for Knights to come."
The project required a year's worth of planning and work, and with $116,000 raised, is nearly complete thanks to the work of that trio.
"Lots of meetings, lots of presentations," Reed said. "We tried to go to as many community events as possible, just spread the word and everyone jumped right on that. Everyone was very excited to help support this cause and it made it a lot easier and more fun to just really follow through and it's coming to a close and I think we're really excited to see the final product pay off for all the girls at Hellgate.
"It's really exciting to see the whole process just come to a close and I think it's also left other girls more excited for the future of Hellgate and sports and just see that they can also make a change in the community if they really put their minds to it."
High school is nearing the end for Reed, but track and field will continue as she is signed and committed to compete at Notre Dame, a dream for an athlete who grew up rooting for the Fighting Irish, and a place where she'll also get to rejoin her sister who is on Notre Dame's pom squad. Reed's plan at Notre Dame is to study pre-med.
"It was pretty amazing," Reed said. "I think me and my family have not celebrated that hard before. It was really fun. And I'm just really excited to be a part of that team and have the opportunity to attend that college and be with my sister at college too.
"I was hearing from a number of schools, but I think it kind of came down to what had the best vibe in terms of team culture and academics. And I think that ended up really showing with Notre Dame and that ended up standing out a lot. And that's why I ended up picking it and I'm really excited."
Reed currently owns the top high jump mark in the state so far this season at 5-foot-6 — the best in any classification — as she chases one final accolade before embarking on her next chapter.
"It's really special, really unique, and I just think that I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help and effort of my team and parents, coaches, trainers to be pushing me along that way," Reed said. "I've gone through all of these sports and games and teams and meets with all my teammates, coaches, parents, everyone and it's been very special to just go through the journey with them.
"Just going through all the ups and downs with all my teammates and friends, just really bonding together, going through all the hardships, but all those celebrations at the same time. I think it's less about the actual trophies and accomplishments we've made and more about those, yeah, those friendships that we've built over the years."
