What time do you wake up on a regular basis?
On a normal day, between 6:30 and 7:00.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
I really like routine, so everyday I open my curtains, wash my face, and drink two glasses of water.
What's for breakfast?
A cup of coffee, four eggs, and 2 protein waffles.
How many times do you work out on a non-race day?
It depends what type of training day it is. Some days, I’ll lift and throw (two different sessions), sometimes I’ll lift two different times, and very rarely—usually during the offseason—I’ll lift twice and throw too.
How often are you in the gym or doing PT?
Usually everyday. Depending on how my body feels sometimes I’ll take a Sunday off to do completely nothing, but usually I like to at least get the body moving.
What's your favorite event?
It’s really hard for me to decide. Before this year I would have said discus any day, but I’ve grown to like shot put more this year.
How many meals/what time do you eat? What's typical (be honest)?
I really like to eat smaller, more frequent meals, so on a typical training day, I’ll eat between 5 and 7 meals.
What's your daily training shoe?
I like to lift in classic Vans, and I throw in Nike’s Rotational series throwing shoes.
What's your racing shoe(s) for indoor/outdoorTrack?
I throw in the same Nike Rotationals during meets.
What's your MPW in-season versus out-of-season?
I don’t really run, but I think the equivalent to a thrower might be sets per muscle per week in the weight room. Usually I aim for about 20 sets per muscle (SPM) during the normal season and 15 SPM during championship season.
Do you take a recovery period after meets? After championship meets? Between seasons?
Being that throwing isn’t too taxing in terms of requiring recovery, I’ll typically train the next day. Between seasons I typically take 2-3 weeks off.
Do you nap?
All the time.
How many hours of sleep do you routinely get at night?
I try my best to get 7 at the bare minimum, but have recently shifted my schedule to be able to get 8-10.
Do you cross-train or participate in any other athletics? Did you as a young kid?
I do. Before I competed in track at a high level, I competed in CrossFit for a little while. I still do, but it’s more for the purpose of improving my track performance.
Why do you run/compete?
I’m very goal oriented, and track gives me an outlet to set a goal, train for it, and do it alongside teammates, friends, and coaches who are also goal oriented and likeminded.
What do you eat after a big meet? After a hard workout?
Since throwing events are at the beginnings of meets, I’ll usually go for something big like a bowl from Chipotle or a smoothie. After hard workouts I usually make some protein oats.
Do you have any pre-race rituals that you don't diverge from — i.e., socks, stretch, hair, favorite song, etc?
This season I started paying a lot of attention to the music I listen to. About an hour before I compete, I like to listen to Zach Bryan or Adele—something slow—about ten minutes before I’ll crank up some rap or something upbeat to pump me up.
What's your favorite subject in the classroom?
This year I’ve really liked my English class, but it kind of changes every year.
Do you have any outside hobbies or interests - art, music, etc?
I really like doing CrossFit and doing other sports just for fun. I also like to cook and sometimes play the guitar.
Do you plan to compete collegiately?
Yes I do. I’ll be throwing at Bowdoin College next year. Go U Bears!
What is your favorite track event, and which challenges you the most?
I like shot put and discus somewhat equally now, and I would say discus challenges me the most.
How did you find your track event?
Before I fell in love with throwing, I kind of floated around the track team and tried to find which events fit me. Eventually I landed on throwing.
What type of specialized training do you put in for your jumping/throwing events?
I do a lot of extra core work. That’s basically it: I lift with mainly conventional lifts and supplement with some extra core exercises every now and then.
Do you have a private coach at any time during the year?
No.
How important is team culture to you?
It’s the most important thing to me. I’m so lucky to be on a team with such an intense focus on keeping its culture healthy and I accredit the team’s culture for a lot of my improvement.
Who has made the biggest impact on you as an athlete?
I think the obvious choice is Coach Faliveno. Over the past few years he’s always been available for me to pick his brain about whatever it might be. I can’t tell you how many videos I’ve sent him asking for feedback or how many hours we’ve spent in the ring together throwing. We work a lot on mentality too, Coach Fal’s definitely taught me how to have that competitor mindset.
As a young athlete, who in sports did you look up to?
I grew up a huge Saints fan, so of course I loved watching Drew Brees play. I also saw everything he did for his community and how much New Orleans reciprocated his love.
What is your favorite memory associated with sports?
One moment I’ll always remember is committing to Bowdoin this summer after my visit. It was just a really special full circle moment for my family and I.
What advice would you give a youngster just starting off in athletics?
Find what you enjoy doing and get obsessed with it. As long as you like it, it doesn’t matter how small your starting point is.
Is there anything else that is absolutely essential to know about you as an athlete?
I think that about covers it. Thank you!