SKHS’ Ellie Lawler Named All-American
As she walked up to the start line to begin her sophomore season of cross country, Ellie Lawler never expected to finish where she did. This past December, Lawler was named All-American after finishing 14th on the national stage.
On Saturday December 12, Lawler competed against the top runners in the country in the Foot Locker National Championship in San Diego. She placed 14th overall with a time of 17:56.6 for the 3.1 mile course, averaging about 5:47 per mile. Lawler was the second sophomore to cross the finish line and was one of only 15 competitors to break the 18-minute mark.
“At first I was surprised,” Lawler said. “I had no intentions of making the top 15, but now looking back at it, it is really exciting to know there is no better way I could have ended this season.”
According to Lawler, the national spotlight never fazed the SKHS sophomore because she competed in the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon the year before. As a freshman, Lawler proved herself one of the country’s top runners by finishing 33rd.
“Last year was a good starting point for sure,” Lawler said. “Going into this year I really wanted to insure that it was a starting point and I hadn’t peaked too soon.”
Lawler arrived in San Diego and immediately met up with other runners from the south to take a shuttle to the hotel. The runners were then greeted and given free gear including the race uniforms. That afternoon, Lawler and the others went for their first practice run with a few professional Asics elite runners.
The next day, Lawler went to the race course and ran with the other runners to get a good feel of what the race would be like. Lawler explained that she felt extremely nervous leading up to it but was eventually able to calm herself down before the race.
“The race was the focal point of the trip but the whole experience was crazy and amazing,” Lawler said. “The other runners and I still talk to each other about how much fun we had and how beautiful the location was.”
At the national championship Lawler was accompanied by her family and her cross-country coach, Mrs. Hathaway. Hathaway expressed her amazement with what Lawler has accomplished in her two years at the school.
According to Lawler, her career began in 7th grade when she first started running cross-country for Curtis Corner Middle School. Since then, Lawler has steadily improved and she continues to train year-round and gives a great deal of credit to her SKHS coach.
“[Mrs. Hathaway] does so much to help me improve,” Lawler said. “I think her main priority is to make me better and she has passion for the sport that runs off on my teammates and I. She knows exactly how to train all of us.”
Mrs. Hathaway had a career of her own running cross country. In high school, she was a standout at South Kingstown and won a state championship as well. Her success at SK lead to her college career at the University of Rhode Island. After graduating, Hathaway began her coaching career at SKHS and guided her teams to five state championships.
Lawler’s teammates are also a large part of her success. According to Lawler, they push her to become a better runner and she helps to motivate them as well.
“It is inspiring to see how hard she is able to push herself in meets and during practice every day,” Lawler’s teammate Hannah Southwick said.
Lawler is not only a cross-country runner. Since she was young, sports have been a large part of her life. According to Lawler, she had mainly been doing swim, which began at age five, but said she also played lacrosse and basketball until the end of 7th grade.
Athleticism runs in the Lawler family as her four sisters, and her brother have all been top athletes at South Kingstown High School. Her sister Katie ran cross country, Annie played basketball, and Michaela did both. Her brother Sean played football. Unlike two of her sisters, Lawler chose not to play basketball and continued to swim.
“Growing up I definitely wanted to play basketball like my sisters,” Lawler explained. “I never thought I would quit it for cross country and swim but in the end those were the sports I was better at and enjoyed more.”
Lawler has proven that her choice to stick to cross country and swimming was the right one. Although the focus is on her running success, Lawler continues to excel for the SKHS swim team during the winter season. She participates in the 500m freestyle, 200 freestyle, and various relays and in the first meet this year she was able to win the 500m.
“Ellie is one of the most athletic people I know and her hard work shows on the cross country course and in the pool,” said Lawler’s swim teammate Bridget Montle.
Lawler is not only an outstanding athlete but she also excels in the classroom. She currently takes all honors classes and is also a member of Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse club. Lawler shared that she also enjoys skiing, hiking, drawing, reading, and going to the beach outside of school but said balancing all of the activities is a challenge.
Although Lawler is nationally recognized for cross country, she is still determined to improve at both of her sports. According to her friends and teammates, Lawler never stops working to better herself and those around her.
The main goals for Lawler, she said, are to steadily improve each year and get a scholarship to run in college. Lawler explained that she plans to fill out questionnaires at the beginning of next year and hopes to get recruited.
“I don’t have any particular schools in mind right now but I know I’d like to go to a Division 1 school,” Lawler stated.
Lawler also said she is looking forward to her junior season next year and will train relentlessly to put herself in the position to win another state title and improve on the national level.
“Going into next year, I kind of have the same mentality as I did this year, focusing more on improving my times and less on places in big races,” Lawler said.
