Chesapeake Grad Excels at Naval Academy

The idea of entering the military may be a daunting concept for some, but for  graduate Lauren Allam, choosing to enter the United States Naval Academy had a lot to do with one thing—family.

“Coming to the Naval Academy is something I have always wanted to do. I have a family history in the academy,” Allam said. “I am a fifth-generation member of the academy. I wouldn’t say my family history was the only reason I decided to come, it was a big part, but I also wanted to serve my country and be a part of something bigger than myself. It is a chance to give back to the community.”

Allam’s father, uncle, grandfather and great-grandfather all attended the Naval Academy. While she expected to maintain that family tradition, she didn’t expect that she would become a track-and-field star.

Now a sophomore at the academy, Allam is in her second year of throwing discus for the women’s track-and-field team. In her freshman season, she won the 2011 Patriot League Outdoor Championship, and set a Naval Academy and Patriot League record for discus. She was also named Patriot League Outdoors Champion Rookie of the Meet. 

On Monday, Allam was named Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week, according to NavySports.com.

“I never got involved in track for the awards. I never expected to win anything,” Allam said. “I do track because I love it. Winning the awards is a great honor, I am happy to get them, but I never really expected all of it.”

Navy’s throwing coach Steven Sarigiannis has not only been impressed with Allam’s skill, but also with her work ethic.

"Lauren's probably the most focused and hardest worker I have ever coached,” Sarigiannis said. “She's been really consistent in meets, and she's got a determination and an eagerness to win. She puts the reps in every day in practice, and she absorbs what I teach her like a sponge."

Division I college athletes are known to have very demanding schedules. Add in a military lifestyle and it becomes chaotic.

Allam said she gets up every morning at 6:45 a.m. for formation before breakfast, attends classes all day, and then heads to practice, which often lasts up to three hours.

“After practice we go back to our rooms and change, because we have to be in uniforms for meals,” Allam said. “After dinner I usually study and then go to bed between 11 and midnight. Then I wake up and do it all over again.”

Allam’s lifestyle at the Naval Academy is very different from that of a civilian college student. Her days are spent in classes learning and training. She said that while life at Chesapeake High School was definitely different, she still values her time there.

“I don’t think any civilian institution is really going to prepare you for a military academy,” Allam said. “But I think if you take all the opportunities you can get, you are going to prepare yourself the best you can. That being said, I took on a lot of leadership roles and took some AP classes, and I think it prepared me the best it could.”

After Allam graduates, she has a five-year obligation of military service, something she says she is looking forward to.

“It’s a real honor to be selected to serve my county,” she said. “It is not free for tax payers, so it is a great honor that they chose me as one of the 4,000 people to represent them. And I am excited about that.”