Rege Cooper-Smith’s potential has long captivated North Chicago girls track coach Mary Dillow.

Dillow caught glimpses of Cooper-Smith’s speed during physical education classes in middle school.

“I work at the nearly middle school and have known Rege since sixth grade,” Dillow said. “Seeing her in seventh grade PE, we all just knew we had to get her to run. She had raw talent that you don’t normally see in seventh grade.”

Cooper-Smith is fulfilling that potential already. After qualifying for the Class 2A state meet in two events as a freshman last season, she returned to Eastern Illinois University in Charleston on Saturday and became the first athlete in program history to win three state championships.

Cooper-Smith won the 100-meter dash in 11.92 seconds, won the 200 in 24.34 and ran the third leg on North Chicago’s 800 relay team, which won in 1:41.61. She also ran with the 400 relay team, which placed fifth in 48.37.

Cooper-Smith and her teammates set school records in each event, and the Warhawks finished in third place overall.

“I just knew I was going to do well at state because I had motivation and confidence,” Cooper-Smith said. “My teammates told me to go for it, and that pushed me to do more.”

North Chicago sprints coach Demetrious Young, who taught Cooper-Smith in middle school, is also her coach in flag football. He isn’t surprised to see her succeed.

“Rege loves to compete, and she would race the boys in middle school and win every time,” Young said. “I believed she realized that she was an elite sprinter this year.

“Last year, she was the new kid on the block. That gave her a lot of confidence but also a lot to work for, and that’s what started her journey.”

Dillow said she noticed during the preliminaries on Friday that Cooper-Smith was prepared for the big stage.

“She’s a humble kid, but when she steps onto the track, she has that switch, and it’s go time,” Dillow said. “We could tell when we got downstate that the switch was on. She was locked in and ready to go. You could see it in her eyes and her demeanor.”

“It was exciting to finally see all the pieces coming together on Saturday. We always knew the talent was there. You could see a buy-in and a mind shift this weekend. It was something special to see.”

Cooper-Smith, who also plays basketball, said her experience at the state meet last season pushed her to work harder.

“I spent a lot of time practicing,” she said.

North Chicago freshman Breyonna Small, who ran the anchor leg on both relay teams, said Cooper-Smith’s consistency is one of her best traits.

“Rege never disappoints in her races, and we can always count on her,” Small said. “She has been determined to get better. There has been some ups and downs, but she continues to show up to practices and meets to stick it out.”

Dillow said she believes the future is bright for Cooper-Smith.

“She has the potential to compete at the next level,” Dillow said. “She’s just getting started, which is the scary part. She’s only going to get better. Knowing that Rege already has state titles, she’s going to start chasing state records.”

Cooper-Smith is excited about the future too.

“I can’t wait, and I’m now thinking track is something I want to do in college,” she said.