Olympic Dreams

Nothing showcases an athlete’s athleticism and versatility more than their ability to excel in multiple sports. For Maryland softball’s Sammi Woods, being a multi-sport athlete comes naturally.  

Woods is a rising junior shortstop who's an incredibly gifted infielder. She routinely makes backhand stabs to scoop up ground balls and finishes plays with throws on the run. However, her abilities weren’t just developed on the diamond. Woods sharpened her softball skills on the gridiron playing flag football. 

It was announced that flag football will be played for the first time at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Woods made it a goal to qualify for the women’s team, where she would represent the United States in her home state of California. 

“I think if the opportunities that are available today or that are going to be available in the next four years were available to her at an earlier age, she might have diverged into football,” Sammi’s father, Terry Woods, said.

Sammi was first introduced to football when she competed in the NFL’s Punt, Pass and Kick competition as a 9-year-old. The competition records how far contestants can punt, pass and kick a football. The measurements are then added together to see who did all three the farthest. 

“I knew nothing about football other than watching it with my dad when I entered the competition,” Sammi said. “I ended up winning the whole thing.”

Sammi, representing the San Diego Chargers, took home first place in the national finals, scoring 232 feet and 8 inches. She won by nearly 30 feet. Her score would’ve also placed her among the top three in the boys’ 8-9 competition.

Being crowned the NFL’s Punt, Pass and Kick champion came with many perks. Sammi got to meet the Chargers players and have them sign a football. She also received her own Topps trading card. But the best benefit she received was an increased interest in football. 

Terry, a former Michigan baseball pitcher from 1989-93, formed the first flag football team Sammi competed on when she was 10. The squad comprised her softball teammates and was the first all-girls team to compete in an all-boys Matt Leinart Flag Football League. 

“They had already been playing three, four years together as a softball team,” Sammi’s father said. “They had the chemistry down, we just needed to teach them a different sport. They were very athletic for their age, good friends and loved coming to practice, which made it a lot easier. It was about teaching them the rules, and then it was about us, as coaches, figuring out how to play flag football.”

Terry and two others coached the team, doubling as softball coaches for the girls. The team started with just eight girls. There was an adjustment period, but the team earned its first win five games into the season. The team later gained a following and expanded into two teams — the Lady Lions and Mama Bears. Terry says the girls had roughly eight plays their first year in the league before installing about 40 more next season.   

Sammi’s team, the Lady Lions, had won a tournament championship against an all-boys team in the 11-12 division, their third season overall. The team they beat hadn’t lost a game up to that point. Sammi intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown in the game. 

“It was awesome because the guys we were playing against were so cocky,” Sammi said. 

Sammi played wide receiver in her early years but later became her team’s signal caller because of her ability to throw far with touch and accuracy. Her dad says she could throw a football about 30 yards as a 9-year-old. 

“It got to the point at a very early age where she was throwing it farther than I could,” Terry said. “I’d come in at night with a sore arm. I really do think when you look back, and you translate this now to softball, her arm strength comes from how much she threw a football.”

Sammi focused on softball for much of her high school career but returned to the football field after the Matt Leinart Flag Football League formed an all-girls league. She immediately opted in. As a quarterback, she was named the 2021 high school league offensive player of the year.    

Flag football is now a California Interscholastic Federation sport offered to girls in high school. Many collegiate programs are starting to offer the sport, even allocating scholarships. Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. and globally.

Wood’s most remarkable accomplishment on the football field came during the summer of her senior year. She was invited to Elite 11, an annual event that brings together the top high school quarterbacks to compete and improve their skills. Sammi was one of the first girls ever to be invited to the camp in 2022, where she was named MVP. Elite 11 now attracts female quarterbacks from all over the country. 

The opportunity led to Sammi playing in the USA Football Junior International Cup. Liz Sowers, Katie Sowers' sister, coached her team. Katie was the first female NFL coach to coach in the Super Bowl. Both now coach flag football at Ottawa University in Kansas. The Braves have won the NAIA Women’s Flag Football National Championship each of the last four seasons. 

“I actually didn't know that you could play flag football at the national level,” Sammi said. “The West Coast was super behind. Especially on the East Coast, it's way bigger.”

Sammi committed to play softball at the University of Maryland in 2021. In two seasons with the Terps from 2023-24, she has started each of the Terps’ last 111 games at shortstop. She holds a career batting average of .226, alongside 65 hits, 26 RBIs and 39 runs. 

Sammi is dominant on defense, boasting a career .940 fielding percentage. She even finished second in the Big Ten in assists (132) as a freshman. The rising junior often makes highlight reel plays, as she checked in on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 plays last season.

Sammi says that playing flag football as a quarterback has helped her read the field and develop an understanding of her internal clock. 

“Being a shortstop, I obviously have to know when runners are going to be at first or where I have a play,” she explained. “I think the internal clock plays a huge part in that.”

Maryland softball head coach Lauren Karn even compared her shortstop to a quarterback of the infield. 

“Sammi’s athleticism is something special,” she said. “She has great instincts on balls off the bat and the ability to read the trajectory of the ball quickly. Because of that, she’s always in a good position to make spectacular plays behind our pitchers. I think the more versatile our young athletes are, the better they become at the sport they choose to focus on later in their athletic careers. Sammi has so many instinctual tools because of her ability to also play football.”

Terry also sees the crossover. “You could see her leaning based on pitches, where at 9 and 10 years old, we're just worried if the glove is on the right hand,” he said. “She would have a feeling where the ball was going, and she'd have half a step. She's not the fastest, but she has the best instincts. She knows where the ball is going, and it's the same thing from a quarterback standpoint. She sees the field quickly and can adapt.”

Sammi has remained involved in flag football over the summer by coaching an all-girls camp in the Matt Leinart Flag Football League. Everything has come full circle, as she and her former teammates were one of the main reasons behind the development of the camp and an all-girls league.  

The USA Flag Football team is currently training for the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championship, which will be held in Finland in August. Sammi plans to enter tournaments to join the team's pool of trial athletes, bringing her one step closer to her ultimate goal. 

Sammi was previously invited to the Olympic trials in North Carolina, but it conflicted with Maryland’s softball season. Her ultimate goal is to compete in Los Angeles in 2028, but softball is currently her commitment. 

“I think it's very attainable,” Sammi’s father said. “I think the challenge is that she's a DI athlete at a very competitive school and has to have priorities. … She's looking for every opportunity she can to try to make an impact. She's definitely in a tougher position than someone who's got that same goal and putting 100% of their energy into it.”