CHECKING IN WITH ... JARED LOVELL
(Editor's note: The Day will be publishing a profile of a spring athlete for each day of the canceled high school athletic season.) School: Waterford High School Class: Senior Sport: Boys' track & field Events: 110-meter high hurdles, 300 intermediate hurdles, 4x400, 4x100 relays, pole vault College choice: Hofstra University Chosen major: Physician assistant studies
Athlete you grew up admiring: I wasn't really a sports fan growing up, but I've grown to admire Olympic hurdler Sydney McLaughlin.
Favorite high school class: Chemistry with Mrs. Pesko
Checking in with Jared: "I became the hurdler I am today by putting in the work and extra time during practices to perfect my technique until I felt I'd mastered it. I also watched my past teammate, Sophia Podeszwa; she taught me many of the drills and warmups that I know and used throughout my senior season."
What you need to know about Jared:
Lovell won the Class M state championship in the 55 hurdles indoors in a personal best 7.82 seconds. He was one of three members of the Eastern Connecticut Conference to win hurdles titles at the state meets, joining Norwich Free Academy's Osaretin Osagie (Class LL, 7.58) and Windham's Enrique Lopez Garcia (Class S, 7.55). "I think it was really cool that all three of us went all-state in each of our classes," Lovell said. "It shows how competitive the ECC is and how skilled we all are." Lovell may choose to walk on to the track team at Hofstra, but will have his hands full with academics. He was accepted into the dual-degree physician assistant program which is a five-and-a-halfyear masters program. "I have always wanted to pursue a career that allows me to give back to the community as my dad is a police officer and my mom is a nurse," Lovell said. "I guess their community service rubbed off on me." Lovell calls the best moment of his track career earning all-state honors: "I worked very hard for years to improve my hurdling and win the Class M 55 hurdles. Seeing my coaches, teammates and family feel the same excitement as me was amazing and made the moment even more special." Lovell said he was a "more reserved, artistic child than sporty" growing up and that he was "somewhat forced" to compete in track by his parents. He began hurdling in high school. He enjoys going to Waterford Beach with his friends, playing volleyball in his back yard, going on bike rides through New London and going out for lunch with his family (his favorite is the prosciutto and fig grilled cheese with tomato soup at Waterford's NV Bakery).