Athlete Highlight (Lauren Butler)

Continuing with our "Athlete Highlight Series", hailing from New Kensington, PA, our 2-Time All-American Senior Thrower, Lauren Butler has some things to say about her four years being an Allegheny College Track & Field Student-Athlete.

Four-Time Indoor Shot Put NCAC Champ

Most people will walk into their first practice freshman year, wide eyed and unsure of what their experiences are going to be on the track or in the field.  Unsure if they are ready for that first workout.  Unsure of whether they will fit in with their teammates, unsure if their coaches will like them, and unsure if they will fail or succeed.  Then they arrive, they meet people they may have never talked to before, they spend five hours a day with them in practice, at dinner, at meets, game nights, and they begin to form bonds.  Your teammates are now your family away from home.

They are the people you can rely on to be there for you even when the season is at its worst.  They become your blankets when huddling together outside in the freezing cold between events.  They become your best friends, and they become your competitors.  They become the people who care about you most on campus, on and off the field.  They become the people that after you graduate, you are going to miss the most.  That is what it has meant to be a track athlete on the team at Allegheny College.

As I am almost at a half way mark in my final outdoor season, it is only appropriate to reflect on my time as a Gator.  I have been blessed to be a two-time All-American in the javelin, four-time indoor shot put conference champion, three-time indoor field athlete of the year, and three-time outdoor javelin champion with hopefully a fourth to come soon.  I have been so grateful to be able to travel to and participate in the Division III outdoor track and field meet four years in a row.  These are accomplishments that I can walk away from after this season is over holding my head high.

Two-Time All-American in the Javelin

I am so grateful to be surrounded by coaches and teammates who genuinely care, letting you know that even if you have a bad meet, you can bounce right back the next week and get a personal record.  It only takes one jump, one throw, or one great time.  It has been a pleasure watching the underclassmen come in just hoping to make it through, and end up surprising themselves when they perform better than they ever thought they could.  Each person is working hard and wants to get better, which strengthens the team environment.  The talent is there, this team is full of it, and it has been so much fun to watch others find what they will succeed, or possibly already succeeding at.

Lauren Throwing the Weight

The best thing I can tell you all is that I am leaving here sure; more sure than I ever could have imagined when I first got here.  I am sure that I can jump into a workout at the next practice and make it through.  I am sure about the positive experiences I have had here.  I am sure of the awesome opportunities to be successful that the coaching staff can provide.  I am proud to say that I have had more moments of success than failure, and I owe it to the environment that the team provides.  I have built great and lasting relationships with my teammates and my coaches. No matter where our lives take us after we leave Allegheny, the people on the track team will always remain my family.  The bond we have shared will forever tie us to this college, to this athletic program with tremendous history and tradition we all have been lucky to be a part of.      

Lauren M. Butler (12’)