“Laura has so much potential and all-around athletic ability,” said Yellow Jacket men’s and women’s soccer coach Reid Ayers, who coached Schwartz this fall. “Her athleticism has carried over to track.”

 

Starting at a young age, Schwartz has been playing soccer as long as she can remember in rec leagues and with club teams.  At Avon Lake High School, Schwartz played four years of soccer and lettered three times and ran four years of track and claimed four letters. In soccer, she was a two-time A.L.H.S. Defensive Player of the Year, and as a senior, she earned second-team All-West Shore Conference and honorable mention All-Greater Cleveland accolades.

 

When it comes to soccer, Schwartz just loves the game, and can never get enough.

 

“The perks of playing soccer is all of the unity, togetherness, and bonding involved in creating chemistry for the team,” said Schwartz, a five-foot and seven-inch midfielder and defender. “Many of my teammates also represent many of my best friends. Of course, I also love the game.”

 

Last fall, Schwartz played in just a pair of soccer games for the 11-6-3 overall Yellow Jackets.

 

“I like soccer because it is a contact sport,” said Schwartz. “The reason, I picked up track and field was actually to stay in shape for the next soccer season.

 

“Then, I began to love track and stuck with it,” continued Schwartz, who ran in the 300 and 400-meter dashes individually and competed in the 4x400-meter relay this winter as the Yellow Jackets captured the 2008 Ohio Athletic Conference title.  “It was great to be a part of a championship team.

 

“But, I really prefer outdoor track to indoor,” said Schwartz, who competed last Saturday (March 22) at the Muskingum College Invitational Meet in New Concord and will run this Saturday, March 29 at the OAC East Meet at Marietta College. “That is what I really look forward to. Running outdoors is so much more enjoyable than being indoors.  Running is, for the most part, a mental sport due to its individuality.”

 

This winter, Schwartz's top time in the 300-meter dash was 46.70 seconds and her best time in the 400 dash was 1:05.98. The top time by the 4x400 relay squad was 4:12.50.

 

“Laura is just a true all-around athletic student and athlete,” said 23-year veteran B-W Track coach Bill Taraschke. “She adds a great deal of depth to our sprint coprs and relay teams. She is still learning a great deal about running and is making strides toward improvement.”

 

Schwartz is a communication disorders and art major, with a minor in psychology. Her future plans are to work as a speech or art therapist.

 

In addition to athletics, Schwartz is quite involved both on and off-campus and outside of sports. She is involved in organizations and holds leadership positions. She is currently a member of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSHLA) and is a Student Ambassador and helps at both the Alumni and Admission offices. Off-campus, Schwartz works with young children at the Berea Day Care Center.

 

And, Schwartz’s commitments and knack for helping others doesn’t stop at B-W or necessarily in Cleveland or Ohio. During B-W’s alternative Winter Break, she had the opportunity to travel to San Fransisco (California) to serve at an HIV/AIDS Clinic. She also participated in the alternative Spring Break in Tennessee last week where she helped to deal with children’s issues.

 

One of Schwartz’s claim-to-fame is that she actually lives on the road that is named after her own family, Schwartz Road in Avon Lake. She is one of three sisters. At one time, Schwartz actually owned goats and a mini horse. In her spare time, she loves to watch Disney movies, her favorite being Beauty and the Beast, and sports, preferably basketball. When asked what her favorite food was she answered, “free!”

 

Schwartz could never choose one sport over the other, soccer versus track.

 

“I love both sports [soccer and track] for different reasons and I hope to participate in both for the remainder of my college career,” said Schwartz.

 

Definitely sounds like someone who knows what she wants.