Two seconds and 108.1 feet are what set Lauren Sheffield ‘25 apart from the rest. 108.1 feet is the record Sheffield broke in her discus throw and two seconds is how long her event takes. Sheffield is currently in her final varsity track and field season before starting her college career as a thrower on the Middlebury College Track and field Team.    

Sheffield started her track and field career at Saint Paul school in fifth-grade.  She tried a variety of track and field events before finding her love for shotput and throwing discus in ninth-grade. 

     “If you want to be really good at something, you have to do it a lot,” said Sheffield. “In middle school, I did long jump, I tried high jump, ran the 200 and some relays. I really began to love track when I did throwing in ninth grade. I was okay at discus and then I was focusing on shot for tenth and eleventh grade.”

    Sheffield’s track and field events of shot put and discus happen in a matter of two seconds. 

    “It’s a very concentrated amount of effort, the whole movement of your competition takes under two seconds, and in two seconds there is so much that can go wrong and so much that can go right,” said Sheffield. “These events were really appealing to me because I can put effort into it and I can get the results back.  I can think about my left leg coming out of the back of the ring, and I can think about that for three practices and it will make my throw better.  I will see results because I can feel how I direct my body.”

     Sheffield was a multisport athlete but has turned her focus and time to getting better at the sport she loved.

     “I played varsity volleyball my junior season but I didn’t see a whole lot of playing time,” said Sheffield. “I stopped halfway through my senior season because I wanted to dedicate more time to lifting and getting ready for the indoor season.  It was just a better use of my time.”

    During her junior year, Sheffield started looking into the possibility of playing in college and its recruiting process with her coach, Jarrett Bussell, and College Counseling NCAA Liaison Jill Dixon.

     “I started talking to Ms. Dixon about college athletics because I was interested, and she told me I should start emailing coaches the spring of my junior season,” said Sheffield. “I waited until the summer after my junior season because that’s when I had my 108 foot throw in discus. I didn’t get any responses until after I started visiting schools and coaches. I started to hear from coaches after I met them and shared my academic and athletic profile.” 

     The day came where Sheffield’s hard work paid off, receiving offers from multiple division 3 colleges, while she was between Bates College and Middlebury College, she decided to go with Middlebury College in Vermont. 

     Sheffield’s hard work paid off when she received multiple Division III offers. Ultimately, she chose Middlebury College in Vermont over Bates College.

“I plan to major in environmental science and maybe study American studies,” Sheffield said. “Middlebury has great academics and even takes athletes to a spring break camp in California.”

Sheffield has been a captain of the Greenhills track and field team since junior year.

“I chose her as a junior, which is rare,” coach Jarrett Bussell said. “With such a large team, that speaks volumes about her character and leadership.” 

Bussell noted that her presence is felt both in and out of competition.“She’s incredibly talented—her name’s on the record board—but she also recruits friends and helps grow the team,” he said. “Sheffield brings unmatched dedication and hard work.”

Though best known for throwing, Sheffield is versatile.“She can jump in anywhere—throws, long jump, hurdles,” Bussell said. “She’s a dynamic athlete.”

Teammate Mason Stranahan ’25 agreed.“She’s probably the most dedicated member of the team,” he said. “When most athletes rest in the offseason, she trains indoors almost every day. She’s locked in year-round.”