Athlete Of The Month – Krista Chauvin

It’s been a long time coming, and Krista Chauvin has finally been recognized asInfinite Fitness’s Athlete of the Month, after finishing her miraculous run for Gardner-Webb University and becoming the first female track and field athlete to compete for her school at the Division I level for the National Title. This accolade adds to her very long list of achievements, most recently finishing 19th in the hammer throw at NCAA Nationals for track and field. With this finish, she also earned Honorable Mention All-American honors courtesy of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

 

Chauvin’s path to these honors was far from the quickest journey. After earning the 23rd ranking in the East region, she took down the other 48 competitors, finishing in the top 12 to earn a bid to take on the other 11 who qualified, along with the 12 from the West region.

 

Prior to the Regionals, Chauvin placed third at the Big South Conference Championship, where she set the Gardner-Webb school record with a throw of 59.23 meters. This was the fifth time she had broken the school record, having set the record on four previous occasions. She first broke the University’s record, which was set at 53.67 in 2013, in the year’s initial meet when she threw for 54.87 meters.

 

With her collegiate career coming to an end, Chauvin will serve as a volunteer assistant coach at Gardner-Webb while continuing her studies, while in pursuit of her dream of competing in the Olympics.

 

“Krista’s achievements are only appropriately paralleled by her tremendous work ethic and competitive spirit,” said Infinite Fitness Strength Coach Chris Cobb. “When she walked through our doors 3 years ago, clutching a list of handwritten goals, we knew we had someone special in our presence. She is self-driven individual that demands and embodies success, and will push herself to her limits to achieve such. She places a confidence in her coaching staff, and trusts the system, and the outcomes have been tremendous. We come across individuals, not just athletes like Krista, once in a blue moon. So when we do, we are simply amazed. This type of attitude translates far beyond the playing field, and I hope all our athletes young and old alike take time to learn a thing or two from Krista. I’m sure there is much more to come from her.”

 

Previous to her record setting track and field season, Chauvin shined for the Runnin’ Bulldogs on the soccer field. She finished second team All-Conference in net and was also named to the Big South Tournament team. She finished seventh in school history in shutouts in a single season with four.

 

Chauvin came to Infinite after her sophomore track and field season, and after just missing being named a D-III All-American. She went on to improve her throw but 10-15 feet, and became a D-III All-American. She was also ranked first in the Nation, finishing fifth at Nationals.

 

“I’ve felt that Infinite has helped me gain a lot of explosive strength for soccer and throwing and haven’t had any injuries since I started lifting at the gym,” Chauvin said. “One of the huge things I like is that everyone knew your name. Everyone is there pushing you and supporting you, like when Mike sent me a picture of everyone stopping what they were doing at the gym to watch me throw at nationals. That really meant a lot to me to see the support I have back home. I’m very thankful for Mike andInfinite Fitness. I mean, I don’t know where I’d be without all of their help.”