Treadway Closes Out Stellar High School Career Friday Night at the North-South Basketball Classic

Expectations can be a heavy burden to bear as an athlete.

Greenbrier West multi-sport all-stater Preslee Treadway seemed to wear them with ease.

Following the announcement Monday morning that she was a Class A first-team all-state softball selection, Treadway cemented herself as one the greatest athletes to graduate from Greenbrier West High School.

The four-year ride, however, was not always smooth.

Entering high school on the heels another multi-sport all-stater, Kenley Posten, the comparisons were inevitable, and naturally, so were the expectations.

A graduate in 2020, Posten exited the high school stage having earned first-team all-state honors in volleyball and softball, along with a third-team selection in basketball.

During her senior season, Treadway also earned first-team honors in volleyball and basketball prior to the softball recognition.

While her accomplishments went much deeper than just all-state selections, the battle she faced along the way magnified her legacy.

During her freshman season, what turned out be a great career was called into question almost before it started.

What appeared to be a harmless diving attempt early in her high school career set off a chain of events that Treadway could never have imagined.

"When she got home that night she was complaining that her stomach was hurting.," Preslee's mother Kelly Treadway said. "She woke us up in the middle of the night crying, saying her stomach was killing her. She wound up laying in the floor and throwing up constantly. We knew something was not right."

A trip to Rainelle Medical Center the next day led to a CT-scan in Charleston and an eventual trip to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

First thought to be just a hematoma, turned out to be a tumor on her pancreas and possible cancer.

Fortunately the tumor was not cancerous, but the Whipple procedure to remove the tumor was extensive, covering eight to nine hours.

"The doctors told us she was the first patient being 14 years old that they had every done the surgery on, but she was out in a week. It normally takes two weeks to a month for recovery," her mother explained. "Youth was on her side. The tumor is usually found in people in their 30's when it has already turned to cancer and it is a problem. She was fortunate that she agitated it by diving on the floor that night. It was like a miracle from God."

Naturally there have been some setbacks along the way, but each time Treadway has returned more determined.

"She had issues eating due to a chyle leak, requiring nine more days back in the hospital with a PICC line," Kelly Treadway said. "She couldn't eat, drink, or chew bubble gum for nine days."

After missing the remainder of the volleyball season, the sign of things to come for the freshman standout occurred in her first game back on the basketball court.

"She missed like the first nine games of basketball, "Kelly Treadway said. "She started playing two months after her surgery and scored over 20 points that night."

Needing nearly eight months to fully recover, as a sophomore, Treadway still earned second-team all-state honors for basketball and first-team honors for softball.

As a junior, Treadway was first-team all-state volleyball and basketball. This year she capped it off by earning first-team recognition in all three sports.

On the volleyball court she led the Cavaliers to the state championship title last December, the first girls title of any kind in school history.

Making the move from outside to middle hitter, Treadway recorded 269 kills, 127 blocks, 348 digs and had 32 aces. She was also named to the All-tournament team.

“She is our emotional leader and I think some of the freshmen are a little scared of her sometimes. She is so intense and emotional. She doesn’t hold anything back,” head volleyball coach Joe Robertson said after the title match. “You know where she stands. She hates to lose. If she has to dive through the scoring table to make a play, she will do it. She expects everyone to do the same thing if they are out there with her.”

In basketball and softball, she was a key player in a run to the state semifinals in both sports.

On the hardwood she became the girl’s all-time leading scorer with 1,523 points, going over 1,000 career points in 63 games. Treadway scored over 500 points in her senior season alone.

Treadway broke Sham Smith’s single-game scoring record (38) with 39 points as a junior before breaking her own record with 46 points in the regional co-final later that season. She had nearly 60 double-doubles over her career with a game-high 25 rebounds, also as a junior.

On the diamond she hit just under .400 this year with three home runs and drove in 31 runs helping West win its first-ever game at the softball state tournament.

Always quick to give her teammates credit for the team success, Treadway also noted that her journey was guided by God.

Her graduation cap had the note "My Story, His Glory" and Psalms 45:6 written on it, "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God will help her when morning dawns."

Treadway's final curtain call on the high school stage will come Friday night inside the South Charleston Community Center when she plays for the South Cardinals in the North-South All-Star Basketball Classic.