Photo by: Don Paul
Record Warning: The Drive and Determination of Lucas Warning
2/9/2016 3:38:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Student Athlete, Features
By: Tim Geer, Lehigh Sports Media Relations
Many would think that breaking a 44 year old record would serve as the pinnacle of someone's career. After all, Lehigh legend John Hill's indoor school shot put record of 17.41 meters had stood alone and untouched since 1972. But for Lehigh junior Lucas Warning that is anything but the case; in fact he may only be just warming up.
"I actually wasn't recruited," Warning said. "In high school, I didn't even throw 47 feet. And if you look at where I'm ranked right now in the nation, there's not a single guy who is throwing under 50, so I didn't get any looks even from Division II or Division III schools."
Despite the lack of suitors, the Mertztown, Pa. native knew where he wanted to go and how to reach the level of success he knew was within his grasp. With his father growing up in Fountain Hill and attending grad school at Lehigh, his grandmother working at the school and his mom, an Allentown native, marrying his father in Lehigh's Packer Chapel, there is quite a Lehigh history in the Warning bloodlines.
"I knew that I'd be able to compete and knowing that I could do something at this level definitely drew me," Warning said of becoming a Mountain Hawk. "I wasn't recruited but I still trained and worked to the point where I knew I'd be able to compete here."
As one could imagine, going from throwing just over 14 meters as a freshman to 17.62 meters just over two years later didn't happen overnight.
"When I first met him, he was just another kid who wanted a chance to be on the team, and we gave him one," head coach Matt Utesch said. "I thought he could contribute, but I didn't know him well enough to know that he is as obsessed with throwing and lifting as he is. He the poster child of development in our program. The kid walks on and breaks a school record. He's not the first kid that has happened to in our program, which is a testimony to the development, but mostly a testimony to his commitment and dedication."
It is that drive and determination that has really left an impression on his coaches.
"He is easily the best competitor I have ever coached," said assistant coach/throwing coach Jeff Pflaumbaum. "He doesn't have to be reminded of being in the moment and why he trains. We have other people on the team who are really great competitors, but Luke is almost at another level. He has an innate ability to be extremely focused and hyper-aware, and has a great belief in his abilities."
After throwing just over 14.30 meters in his first couple of meets as a freshman, Warning built his way up to a toss of 14.71 meters for an eighth place finish at the indoor championships, before placing fourth with a throw of 16.07 meters at the outdoor championships that spring. It was that meet that serves as his favorite memory to date.
"I was in the first flight and had one of the first throws," he recalls. "I didn't even watch where it landed…I just stared back at my coach, and my face just dropped. And I think, 'This is going to be a bad day.' And then I look out and saw everyone else start to light up. I had just PR-ed by 40 or 50 centimeters and didn't realize it," he says laughing. "It was this weird thing where it took me 30 seconds to realize what I had just done. It was a crazy experience. Just that whole ride of going into finals, being a freshman and scoring that many points for the team was a great moment and something I'll never forget."
After setting a new personal record of 16.97 meters at last year's IC4A Championships, the train of progress derailed.
"I was switching techniques up, and the whole indoor season I thought it was just some back pain, nothing to worry about," he recalls. "I went home on spring break and I could barely throw, it was pretty scary. So I came back and didn't compete the first week. I went for an MRI and Greg (Scullin) over at sports med told me I had fractured my back.
"Sometimes being tough is knowing when to back off, and if I have an issue with anything, it's that because I always feel like I'm not doing enough," he continues. "It was probably a month of doing absolutely nothing. It was a painful month of feeling like there was more to be done."
After missing the entire 2015 outdoor season and participating in a couple meets over the summer, Warning was ready to continue and pick up where he left off the previous winter.
"Where I was, I was three centimeters away from 17 meters," he said. "That was a pretty scary thought. I could never say I was a 17-meter thrower."
The thought that may be even scarier this that not only did he eclipse the 17 meter mark (17.41m) for the first time in his career on Jan. 16, his shot put topped Hill's school record by one centimeter – a record that had been on the books since 1972.
His dedication and desire for the sport and his preparation even shines through in his explanation of the experience.
"I was pretty aware of that," Warning said. "I knew who John Hill was. I even looked up the swimming records and found that was the oldest record in the school for a single event. I even knew John Hill was in the NFL for over 10 years. I love this sport, so I was going to look up everything about it."
"When he first came in for a visit, it was very apparent that he was very serious about everything he does," Pflaumbaum recalls. "I went down the list of some of the things we require, like keeping a weight training/throwing journal. He then pulled out his journal and it was a very meticulous document. It was very apparent that he was serious about throwing and everything that he does."
One of the people he has made an impression on recently has been John Hill himself, as the two have exchanged emails in recent weeks.
"I think it's great," Hill said of his record being eclipsed. "It's good to have a goal and something to work for. The important thing is that people use them in transition into their lifestyle as they go into the business world. That's where it really becomes an important factor."
John Hill '72 is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes to come through Lehigh. He starred on both the gridiron and the track, winning the Penn Relays and setting the indoor and outdoor shot put records. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 1972 NFL Draft and played 14 years in the league, most of which with the New Orleans Saints. He was inducted into the Saints' Hall of Fame in 1992.
Moving forward, Warning is confident that this is just another step along the way. Spoken like a true competitor, he doesn't feel he's fully hit his stride and has hopes of becoming an NCAA qualifier.
"When I hit that mark (record of 17.41m), there were a lot of technical things that were wrong and I've even fixed them now," he explained. "At the (Lafayette meet) I was sick and I still almost hit that mark. So I think if it's not this weekend or next, I think by Patriot League Championships I'll be able to hit 18 meters."
It may not have been 18 meters, but he did take another step forward two days later at Lehigh's next meet, the John Covert Classic.
"He's going to blow the roof off this place," Pflaumbaum said before the meet. And that he did, reaching 17.62 meters to break his own school record and eclipse the old-benchmark of 17.40 for the second time in as many weeks.
Currently holding the two longest shot puts in the Patriot League this year, Warning has his sights set on a league title and beyond.
"Maybe I can make it to nationals for indoors this year. That'd be great. I'm very confident that I'll make it to the first round of outdoors, and maybe even make it to Oregon this year," he said.
Hill's outdoor record of 18.31 meters is now one of the longest standing school records left on the books.
"Go get 'em," Hill says. "It's a good thing to have. I think I had my high school record for years too, and I found out that that record had been broken as well," he said with a chuckle. "They're making kids bigger and stronger nowadays. There's more early focus on lifting and agility and skills like that, but I think it's great."
Only time will tell how much longer that record will continue to stand, but the warning signs are there, it may not be for much longer.
Many would think that breaking a 44 year old record would serve as the pinnacle of someone's career. After all, Lehigh legend John Hill's indoor school shot put record of 17.41 meters had stood alone and untouched since 1972. But for Lehigh junior Lucas Warning that is anything but the case; in fact he may only be just warming up.
"I actually wasn't recruited," Warning said. "In high school, I didn't even throw 47 feet. And if you look at where I'm ranked right now in the nation, there's not a single guy who is throwing under 50, so I didn't get any looks even from Division II or Division III schools."
Despite the lack of suitors, the Mertztown, Pa. native knew where he wanted to go and how to reach the level of success he knew was within his grasp. With his father growing up in Fountain Hill and attending grad school at Lehigh, his grandmother working at the school and his mom, an Allentown native, marrying his father in Lehigh's Packer Chapel, there is quite a Lehigh history in the Warning bloodlines.
"I knew that I'd be able to compete and knowing that I could do something at this level definitely drew me," Warning said of becoming a Mountain Hawk. "I wasn't recruited but I still trained and worked to the point where I knew I'd be able to compete here."
As one could imagine, going from throwing just over 14 meters as a freshman to 17.62 meters just over two years later didn't happen overnight.
"When I first met him, he was just another kid who wanted a chance to be on the team, and we gave him one," head coach Matt Utesch said. "I thought he could contribute, but I didn't know him well enough to know that he is as obsessed with throwing and lifting as he is. He the poster child of development in our program. The kid walks on and breaks a school record. He's not the first kid that has happened to in our program, which is a testimony to the development, but mostly a testimony to his commitment and dedication."
It is that drive and determination that has really left an impression on his coaches.
"He is easily the best competitor I have ever coached," said assistant coach/throwing coach Jeff Pflaumbaum. "He doesn't have to be reminded of being in the moment and why he trains. We have other people on the team who are really great competitors, but Luke is almost at another level. He has an innate ability to be extremely focused and hyper-aware, and has a great belief in his abilities."
After throwing just over 14.30 meters in his first couple of meets as a freshman, Warning built his way up to a toss of 14.71 meters for an eighth place finish at the indoor championships, before placing fourth with a throw of 16.07 meters at the outdoor championships that spring. It was that meet that serves as his favorite memory to date.
"I was in the first flight and had one of the first throws," he recalls. "I didn't even watch where it landed…I just stared back at my coach, and my face just dropped. And I think, 'This is going to be a bad day.' And then I look out and saw everyone else start to light up. I had just PR-ed by 40 or 50 centimeters and didn't realize it," he says laughing. "It was this weird thing where it took me 30 seconds to realize what I had just done. It was a crazy experience. Just that whole ride of going into finals, being a freshman and scoring that many points for the team was a great moment and something I'll never forget."
After setting a new personal record of 16.97 meters at last year's IC4A Championships, the train of progress derailed.
"I was switching techniques up, and the whole indoor season I thought it was just some back pain, nothing to worry about," he recalls. "I went home on spring break and I could barely throw, it was pretty scary. So I came back and didn't compete the first week. I went for an MRI and Greg (Scullin) over at sports med told me I had fractured my back.
"Sometimes being tough is knowing when to back off, and if I have an issue with anything, it's that because I always feel like I'm not doing enough," he continues. "It was probably a month of doing absolutely nothing. It was a painful month of feeling like there was more to be done."
After missing the entire 2015 outdoor season and participating in a couple meets over the summer, Warning was ready to continue and pick up where he left off the previous winter.
"Where I was, I was three centimeters away from 17 meters," he said. "That was a pretty scary thought. I could never say I was a 17-meter thrower."
The thought that may be even scarier this that not only did he eclipse the 17 meter mark (17.41m) for the first time in his career on Jan. 16, his shot put topped Hill's school record by one centimeter – a record that had been on the books since 1972.
His dedication and desire for the sport and his preparation even shines through in his explanation of the experience.
"I was pretty aware of that," Warning said. "I knew who John Hill was. I even looked up the swimming records and found that was the oldest record in the school for a single event. I even knew John Hill was in the NFL for over 10 years. I love this sport, so I was going to look up everything about it."
"When he first came in for a visit, it was very apparent that he was very serious about everything he does," Pflaumbaum recalls. "I went down the list of some of the things we require, like keeping a weight training/throwing journal. He then pulled out his journal and it was a very meticulous document. It was very apparent that he was serious about throwing and everything that he does."
One of the people he has made an impression on recently has been John Hill himself, as the two have exchanged emails in recent weeks.
"I think it's great," Hill said of his record being eclipsed. "It's good to have a goal and something to work for. The important thing is that people use them in transition into their lifestyle as they go into the business world. That's where it really becomes an important factor."
John Hill '72 is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes to come through Lehigh. He starred on both the gridiron and the track, winning the Penn Relays and setting the indoor and outdoor shot put records. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 1972 NFL Draft and played 14 years in the league, most of which with the New Orleans Saints. He was inducted into the Saints' Hall of Fame in 1992.
Moving forward, Warning is confident that this is just another step along the way. Spoken like a true competitor, he doesn't feel he's fully hit his stride and has hopes of becoming an NCAA qualifier.
"When I hit that mark (record of 17.41m), there were a lot of technical things that were wrong and I've even fixed them now," he explained. "At the (Lafayette meet) I was sick and I still almost hit that mark. So I think if it's not this weekend or next, I think by Patriot League Championships I'll be able to hit 18 meters."
It may not have been 18 meters, but he did take another step forward two days later at Lehigh's next meet, the John Covert Classic.
"He's going to blow the roof off this place," Pflaumbaum said before the meet. And that he did, reaching 17.62 meters to break his own school record and eclipse the old-benchmark of 17.40 for the second time in as many weeks.
Currently holding the two longest shot puts in the Patriot League this year, Warning has his sights set on a league title and beyond.
"Maybe I can make it to nationals for indoors this year. That'd be great. I'm very confident that I'll make it to the first round of outdoors, and maybe even make it to Oregon this year," he said.
Hill's outdoor record of 18.31 meters is now one of the longest standing school records left on the books.
"Go get 'em," Hill says. "It's a good thing to have. I think I had my high school record for years too, and I found out that that record had been broken as well," he said with a chuckle. "They're making kids bigger and stronger nowadays. There's more early focus on lifting and agility and skills like that, but I think it's great."
Only time will tell how much longer that record will continue to stand, but the warning signs are there, it may not be for much longer.
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