Lauryn Love primed to compete with track and field鈥檚 best in Pac-12
GILLETTE, Wyo. (BVM) — Lauryn Love will soon be competing in the Pac-12 with the nation鈥檚 top college track and field athletes — a challenge the University of Arizona freshman seems fit for considering what she accomplished as a high schooler in her home state.
Love established herself as the best thrower in Wyoming by winning the Class 4A state title in both the shot put and discus as a Campbell County High School senior this past spring. Her personal-best shot put of 47 feet, 6.25 inches, which ranked No. 22 nationally among all prep competitors in 2021, stands as the second-longest throw in state history.
But Love hasn鈥檛 always been on a path to becoming a Division I track and field athlete. She didn鈥檛 even give the sport serious consideration prior to her freshman year at Campbell County.
鈥淚 definitely wasn鈥檛 thinking about my future as a freshman,鈥� Love said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if I liked (throwing) or not. I started placing a little bit my freshman year and I was like, 鈥極h, maybe I can be good at this.鈥欌��
No one could鈥檝e expected Love to be this good, however.聽
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know that you can ever anticipate somebody throwing at this level because we鈥檝e never had a kid that was this good,鈥� Campbell County girls track and field head coach Shelly Stremcha said. 鈥淏ut we knew she was going to be good for sure. From the very get-go, she was just so strong and explosive so we definitely knew we had something special on our hands, but to know how special, I don鈥檛 know that anybody could have anticipated that.鈥�
Love flashed some potential as a freshman, throwing the shot put 34-10.5 and the discus 97-11. She improved on both distances as a sophomore, throwing the shot 40-8.25 and the discus 120, and began to set her goals higher.
鈥淚 saw a girl throw 42 at state my sophomore year and I was like, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 so far; I hope I can throw that far,鈥欌�� Love said.
She didn’t get the chance during her junior year after spring sports were wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the reigning Gatorade Wyoming Girls Track and Field Player of the Year would prove she could throw considerably farther than 42 feet. Her shot put PR of 47-6.25 was not only a near seven-foot improvement from her sophomore season, it鈥檚 also nearly five feet farther than Campbell County鈥檚 previous school record.
The work Love put in between her sophomore and senior seasons, which helped her lose 50 pounds, led to the substantial strides she made as a thrower.聽
鈥淚magine throwing what I am now with 50 pounds on my back,鈥� Love said. 鈥淚 just don鈥檛 think I could do it. I鈥檝e always been really strong so it kind of came naturally, but dropping 50 pounds just sped me up in the ring so that definitely was a key factor in the jump I made from sophomore year to now.鈥�
Love鈥檚 weight loss turned her into a faster, more explosive thrower who now finds herself in a position to take on the challenge of facing the nation鈥檚 best competition at the college level with the Wildcats.
鈥淎rizona is such a big school and it鈥檚 the Pac-12 and I鈥檓 super excited that I can compete at that high of a level,鈥� Love said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 somewhere that鈥檚 going to challenge me to do better, especially being in Wyoming not having a ton of competition, so I鈥檓 excited to go to college where I’m not going to be the best thrower. 鈥� I鈥檓 excited to be the little guy again and to work my way up there.鈥�
Love worked her way up from being an inexperienced thrower as a high school freshman to becoming the state鈥檚 best by the time she left Campbell County. Stremcha believes Love鈥檚 college career could have a similar upward trajectory.
鈥淚 honestly think the sky’s the limit for her,鈥� Stremcha said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 one of the most coachable kids I鈥檝e ever had. She鈥檚 also a student of the game. She just continues to learn and work hard at doing the things she’s asked to do and understanding the sport better.聽 鈥� I think a lot of things have to fall into place in order for somebody to be really great and I think Lauryn has the potential to do that. I know she鈥檒l have her work cut out for her and she鈥檚 going to take her lumps like every other kid who competes at the college level, but I think mentally and emotionally she has the fortitude to be able to overcome adversity and just be amazing.鈥�
