When Florida senior Laila Foster arrived at 91精选, she had three distinct goals in mind: to set records, qualify for outdoor nationals and win. And now that she鈥檚 qualified for the Indoor Track and Field Nationals, she鈥檚 almost there.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how it feels. My emotions are everywhere,鈥� Foster said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it has hit me yet. I know I am just looking forward to competing while meeting new people.鈥� Foster, who is a psychology major with a minor in criminal justice, was born in Lorain, Ohio, but calls Apopka, Florida, home.
She and her coach, former Olympian Torri Edwards will travel to Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, where Foster will compete in the 60-meter dash. The competition will take place March 10-12. A total of 540 participants, 270 men and 270 women, will compete in the championships. Student-athletes qualified for the championships by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really big accomplishment,鈥� Edwards said. 鈥淪he came in mainly as a jumper, but we put her in the 60 meter and she qualified for national in her first race. We were actually looking for her to get there in the triple jump.鈥� Foster was the state champion in Florida 4A in 2012 in the triple jump but transitioned into sprinter while at KSU.
Foster said she has been running track since she was 4 and began competing when she was 11. What keeps her motivated is 鈥渒nowing that I can set one record and break that and keep exceeding to do more,鈥� she said. Foster also tries to keep good company to help challenge herself.
鈥淢y best friends are Marvin Bracy who runs pro for Adidas; Alysha Newman, University of Miami pole vaulter who just hit an Olympic standard; and Vanessa Clerveaux, Alabama hurdler/sprinter who just won SEC conference in the 60-meter hurdles,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey inspire me to do better every day and be just like them.鈥�