April 4, 2016
By Zach Reagan, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Frequently the person in charge of the behind the scenes work for an athletic team goes unnoticed.
It's a position that doesn't get much attention, but it's essential to any successful team. The director of operations position often flies under the radar until there's a hiccup of some sort.
In charge of making sure the i's are dotted and t's are crossed for the Nittany Lion track and field program is director of operations, Laura Loht.
"I gather all of the information we need to be successful on the road as far as being organized," said Loht.
You can find Loht doing a wide range of tasks depending on the day and season. She can be preparing travel arrangements for an upcoming away meet in her office, or pacing throughout the Multi-Sport Facility during a home indoor meet in order to ensure that all aspects of the meet are running smoothly.
During the outdoor season, she checks athletes in at the airport for road meets, while also making itineraries and shuttle schedules when planning for outdoor trips.
"Getting 60 to 70 people on the road is definitely a challenge," said Loht.
Loht, a former three-time All-American and current Penn State javelin school record holder, can't get enough of being around the track and field environment. She also doesn't want to walk away from her craft.
"I love javelin, I love throwing and just being around the sport," said Loht.
After graduation Loht knew she wanted to continue competing and thought remaining in Happy Valley would be best for her future. The people of Penn State and the passion they have mean a lot to Loht as she bleeds blue and white herself.
Shortly after graduation, Loht started working as the operations assistant within the program. She helped out the program in that position for six months until being hired full-time as the director of operations. Head coach John Gondak told Loht that the director of operations position is a "foot in the door" for a future coaching position.
"I want to get into coaching eventually," said the 2014 Penn State kinesiology graduate.
Alongside her operations duties, Loht is training for competition herself. Before getting into her office at the Multi-Sport Facility in the morning, she gets up early to complete her daily training sessions. Last weekend, Loht threw in the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Florida. Loht also competed in the 2012 Olympic Trials and looks to give it another shot in a few months. She looks forward to another opportunity.
"Every year something special has happened in my career," said Loht.
Loht chose to go to Penn State for its top-ranked kinesiology program and didn't want to exactly be the top javelin athlete on the team coming in.
"I was going to come in as the number two girl and that's what I wanted. I wanted to be competing with someone, not just come in and be the 'big dog'," said Loht.
During her athletic career at Penn State, Loht and current senior Lauren Kenney were elite javelin throwers for the Nittany Lions.
"In my opinion, we were the best duo in the nation for a while," said Loht.
The duo of Loht and Kenney matched up against each other in high school before competing together for Penn State. Loht attended Indian Valley High School which is a little over 45 minutes away from Happy Valley and Kenney went to nearby State College Area High School.
From her time in high school, through Penn State and post-graduation, Loht has continued to do great things on the track, and she is hoping to continue that excellence in this role.
For more on Nittany Lion track and field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.