Nevada’s Lauren Green sprints to success
RENO, Nev. (BVM) — The University of Nevada’s women’s track and field team has shown its talent and passions after facing the challenges Covid-19 has presented. Lauren Green, a senior sprinter, described what it is like to approach her final season as an athlete for The Pack.
Green’s love for running came at a young age, and with a competitive spirit, she has always been an athletic individual.
“Ever since I was younger, I’ve always liked to race people, especially the boys in class,” Green said. “My family are all athletes, so as children, my parents kept us pretty active. I was never forced into track. Like most elementary school kids I played soccer, and then I started playing basketball in middle school. Eventually, I started track in middle school.”
Both of Green’s parents, Ronnie and Sheri, ran in their time in high school and college. Her dad made it to the Olympic trials. The sport is literally in Lauren’s blood.
“My dad played a little bit of college football, but then he got recruited to run track at Texas Tech and from there he qualified for the Olympic trials for the 200, and there he placed All-American,” Lauren said. “ And he still has the records there as well.”
Lauren is the type of athlete that makes you think the most challenging things are possible. In her sophomore year of high school, Lauren tore her ACL during a basketball game. Juggling both basketball and track came to an end. She went through a year-long recovery making sure she would be able to return to the track.
“My family doctor, Dr. Heckel was very serious about my rehab,” Lauren said. “I spent a whole year doing pretty intense rehab, which was very hard mentally. I also switched high schools during this time, so things were far from easy. I really had to trust the process. I am so glad I did because I had a complete break out season my junior year.”
After adapting to the transition from high school to college and refocusing her mind as she described it, Lauren went into her third year at Nevada committed. The indoor season was full of accomplishments among the women’s track team. She moved into fourth all-time at Nevada in the 400-meter dash with her time of 55.32 at the Mountain West Championship. Lauren was also a part of the 4×400 team at the Mountain West Championship that moved into fourth all-time at Nevada in this event.
Lauren stated what exactly goes through her mind during these conference meets she has trained all year for.
“The track is one of my favorite places to be,” Lauren said. “There’s so much adrenaline that goes by that sometimes the starting line or even the race becomes a total blur. I’m getting into the zone, getting things prepared mentally.”
That zone Lauren describes is her secret to success. On January 18, 2020, she earned a new personal best in the 600-meter dash at the Bronco Invitational with her time of 1:37.58.
“The 600 has a weird place in my heart,” Lauren explained. “Whether it is at practice or during the indoor season, the 600 is just really fun. I think with the pressure being at less of a high, it allows for me to run in a different way.”
Lauren approaches this season with big goals, and described it as a time to make up for what was lost during her junior year.
“Last year’s indoor season really projected what I can do,” Lauren continued, “With knowing how hard I have been working I am just really excited for this season. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I have some pretty big goals of what I want to do.”
