Wyoming's legendary Sailors family has a new standout athlete

Oct. 11—Laramie High junior Michon Sailors has one of the most recognizable names in the state of Wyoming.

Sailors is the great niece of legendary University of Wyoming basketball player Kenny Sailors, who is most known for inventing the modern day jump shot. Kenny cemented the Sailors name in the record books in 1943, leading UW to its first and only NCAA Tournament championship.

Eight decades later, Michon is also making a name for herself, helping LHS to a historic 24-0 start to the volleyball season. Michon's relation to Kenny comes on her father, Dale's, side of the family.

Sailors returned to the Plainsmen as a sophomore after her family moved away to St. George, Utah. She originally moved when her mother, Erin Wedemeyer, took the head volleyball coaching job at Dixie High, where Sailors spent her freshman year of high school.

The family returned to Laramie last year when Wedemeyer was hired as LHS' junior varsity coach.

LHS coach Jill Stucky has known Sailors since she was 5 years old, and was thrilled to find out the family was returning.

"Her mom called me and said they were coming home," Stucky said. "I was elated because, at the time, we didn't have a lot of size in our program, and I was really happy to get another kid with a long body type that I knew would fit nicely into the program."

This season, the 6-foot-2 Sailors leads the undefeated Plainsmen in kills (134) and blocks (44). She is second on the team in hitting percentage at .440, trailing only senior Maddy Stucky (.487).

"I've been able to have lots of growth with Maddy, and we've connected really well all season," Sailors said. "As a whole team, we've connected well and been able to move forward each week as a team."

Laramie's offense was created with the idea of Sailors and Maddy working in unison. Sailors' biggest strength is in the transition game, Stucky said.

The transition game centers around the time between a defensive dig and setting up a counterattack. Those crucial moments have been where Sailors has excelled the most.

"I think I can put a ball down pretty easily," Sailors said. "I can hit the ball hard, and score pretty well. I also feel like I can get over the net and block the ball pretty well.

"I have this thing with Maddy where I can go to her and tell her, 'If you get me the ball, I'll make sure to score for the team.'"

Sailors' offense gets a lot of attention, but her ability to make plays on the defensive side helped LHS earn wins over No. 2-ranked Thunder Basin and reigning state champion Kelly Walsh earlier this season. Sailors has proven her ability to read hitters and understand how the ball is going to come out of their hands.

"(Thunder Basin and Kelly Walsh) hitters are confusing and very competitive," Sailors said. "Their hitting styles make them confusing to go against, because the timing they use with their hitters and setters is different from other teams."

Sailors started playing volleyball in the sixth grade when her mom coached the Laramie Middle School team, but she didn't start playing club volleyball until the family moved to Utah. There, Sailors played for the Red Rock Heat and Beach Elite volleyball programs.

Now, Sailors plays for the Northern Colorado Volleyball Club. Maddy Stucky also plays for NORCO, and Jill Stucky is on the coaching staff.

"The experience between clubs is pretty different," Sailors said. "There are different levels of competition. Maybe because I was younger in Utah, but it was pretty competitive. Our coach was a woman named Robyn Felder, and she came from Utah Tech and was just great."

Sailors thinks her volleyball genes come from her mother, who had a standout career at UW from 1987-90 before going into coaching. Wedemeyer finished her UW career inside the top 10 for career digs at 1,002.

Sailors has felt constant support from her teammates and family throughout her career. Her sisters, Danielle and Erin, make it a point to watch every match she plays in.

Sailors feels LHS has been so successful this season because of Jill's ability to pinpoint specific things the team needs to work on.

"Michon is the type of teammate that pushes hard for everybody to have a common goal in winning, which makes me really happy," Jill said.

Maddy committed to UW and will soon graduate from LHS, but Jill is confident in Sailors ability to continue to lead the Plainsmen as a senior next fall.

"Her size and blocking ability combined with her transition game is going to make her a formidable opponent for anybody that we play next year," Jill said.

LHS will look to reach 25-0 at home against Natrona County at 6 p.m. The Plainsmen will finish out the regular season with matches against Sheridan, Cheyenne Central and Cheyenne East.

The Class 4A East Regional tournament will be Oct. 27-28 in Sheridan, followed by the state tournament Nov. 2-4 in Casper.

Austin Edmonds covers Laramie High, University of Wyoming and community athletics for WyoSports. He can be reached at aedmonds@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @_austinedmonds.