He does everything, and he seems to be pretty good at it.

Mike Howell is a tri-sport athlete at Union Springs, playing basketball, soccer and currently outdoor track and field.

“He does everything, he's a great kid,” Union Springs track and field head coach Mark Gaffney said. “After talking to his other coaches, we all seem to agree that he is the best all-around athlete at the school.”

Howell was the first boys soccer player in about 20 years at Union Springs, to be an IAC All Star for three years in a row. Playing basketball for the Wolves, Howell was their No.1 defensive player and a starter for this year's Section IV, Class C champion team. And those aren't the only sports on his resume.

“I also played a year of modified baseball, but the next year I tried track and liked it better,” Howell said. “Basketball is actually my favorite sport to play though, it never gets old.”

This season, in his current sport, Howell is continuing his success and dominating another season jumping for the Wolves in the triple jump, the high jump and as a third leg in the 4x100m or 4x200m relay.

Howell is the defending sectional champion in the high jump (6-0) and is hoping to repeat that success this season, only adding on a win in the triple jump as well.

“I am hoping to win the triple jump as well,” Howell said. “I'm getting used to that.”

Getting used to it may be an understatement. This season, Howell participated in the triple jump event for only his second time ever and ended up setting the school record with a jump of 39-1.5 .

Howell has a habit of breaking records, starting this season by breaking his own personal record in the high jump with a 6-2 leap. He was also the third leg in the 4x200m relay that set a school record on April 25.

“He has had a top performance in every meet so far, and we are undefeated now,” Gaffney said. “The season can only get better for him. We are really hoping to see him break some more records and improve every meet.”

Howell is a captain of the team for the second year in a row, and was chosen not just because of his hard work and dedication but also because of his leadership to the team as well.

“Mike has a major impact on the team, he leads the warm-ups every day and encourages everyone to perform their best,” Gaffney said. “His work ethic inspires the younger kids and he is such a big help at the meets even helping me as an official at the modified meets.”

Perhaps Howell is inspiring because he is, as he says, “inspired by Coach Gaffney,” who keeps pushing him to do his best.

His performances continually improve with each meet and it may not just be inspiration that keeps Howell going.

“Whatever he does, he does well,” Gaffney said. “He is the hardest worker on the field and academically he is a strong student that is well-liked by all the teaching staff.”

Howell says he likes sports because of the chance to compete and do his best.

“I like to win, I am a competitor who always needs something to compete in,” Howell said. “I also try to motivate everyone to keep them performing at the top of their game too.”

The Wolves are at the top of their game right now, with a 3-0 record and hoping to end the season with a strong finish.

“We are in a position that we haven't been in a while,” Gaffney said.

“Hopefully we can keep it going,” Howell added. “It would be nice to sweep the dual meets and win the division title.”