Saturday
July 27, 2024 
Back in seventh grade, Central Bucks West field standout Lauren Hahn began throwing the shot put on a simple, friendly gesture.
“Back then, I did a little bit of everything, some jumping events and some sprinting events,” recalled Hahn. “I believe it (shot put) initially started when my competitive friend and I said to each other, ‘I bet I can chuck this heavy ball farther than you.’ We both had such a great time with it that we did it the rest of middle school.
“It was just so different than anything that I had ever seen, so I had to give it a try. I didn’t try discus and javelin until ninth grade.”
Three years later, Hahn is ready to place the finishing touches on a Rembrandt of a career at districts and possibly states. She finished second in the discus and fifth in the javelin at districts after a second place in the javelin and shot put at leagues last season.
This season, Hahn has set a school record in the javelin (132-4), and personal records in the javelin (132-4) and shot put (37-1.5). She consistently has been among the top three finishers in each event during the season.
Even though Hahn has been on an upward spiral, her path may not have been a straight one.
“This has been one of the craziest seasons of my entire career,” stated Hahn. “In the process of getting a new field, we had to face some challenges we hadn’t experienced before. Because our practices got juggled around a lot, we all had to put in a lot of extra time in order to improve.
“Our season started off a little slow, as finding adequate places and times to practice was difficult. In the first few meets, my performance in many of my events was a little rough. But soon enough, our field was done and we finally had a place to practice regularly.”
Hahn believed she found her niche early in the season at the Jim Kelly Invitational March 30, the second meet of the season.
“Early on, the Jim Kelly Invite was my best meet of the season,” added Hahn. “In shot, I finally reached 37’. Discus was my worst event of the day, as I barely hit 100’. But in javelin, I really tossed a couple good ones, and performed my best ever.
“I suppose something just clicked for those few instants. My best javelin throw was 132’, which set a new meet record. I was really proud of that.
“Ever since then, I’ve been giving my best effort to improve even farther. My goal is to beat the school record of 144’. I don’t have a lot of time left, but I’m still doing my best.”
Assistant coach Eric Welch relates Hahn’s accomplishments to her work ethic and character.
“Lauren Hahn’s success is attributed to the hard work she puts in at practice,” said Welch. “From the weight room to the practice field, she gives you 110 percent. Not only does she put the time in to better herself but also always puts time in to share her knowledge and skill set to her teammates. She is a great role model, student and person.
“Lauren is by far our best thrower on the team and one of the best throwers in the conference. Her leadership, hard work and skill set will be missed tremendously.”
Hahn, who will attend Juniata College in the fall, has been grateful for the support.
“Our coaches have made a lot of sacrifices for us,” she said. “I’m so thankful for all my teammates and my coach. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have achieved without them.”
Based on her performances, there likely will be more achievements ahead.
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