WOODS CROSS—Sports have always been a part of Lauren Olsen’s life and all that hard work is paying off as she was named the Big Sky Women’s Field Athlete of the Week for her performance in javelin.

“I throw for Weber State,” she said. “I also threw in high school. I was a two time state champion and set the state record in 5A at 138 feet 7.5 inches.”

Olsen started throwing in junior high. “I did discus and shot put then I continued to throw in high school and added in javelin. I wanted to do track but didn’t want to run. I looked at a thrower and that looked more fun than what the distance kids were doing.”

So far she has had a lot of success in college. “I made it to the first round meets,” said Olsen. “They have the season meets, then conference championship and then they take the top people in the first round in the West and first round in the East.”

Olsen was recruited by Weber State out of Woods Cross high school. “My coach Sam Wood had a big impact on my career,” she said. “He opened up the door to me throwing at a higher level of competition.”

Track and field is not the only thing Olsen is good at, she's also an artist. “I enjoy throwing ceramics as well as throwing javelin,” she said. “I won the Congressional Award at the Springville Art Show in 2018. It was a vase that featured Utah’s beauty. It had the arches etched into it, the Capitol building, Bryce and the temple. I don’t like to limit myself to one thing.”

Olsen worked as a custodian at Woods Cross Elementary and also as a crossing guard. “The principal would come to my meets,” she said. 

She is working on an engineering degree and plans to get a masters in integrated information systems. “My dad is an engineer and so is my brother-in-law. My family loves it and if one person does it we all get drawn into it.”

That family support is what’s gotten her this far, she said. “None of this would have been possible without my parents, family, coaches, friends and Woods Cross Elementary principal. It’s all worth it because of them.”