After getting chance to move to America, Lilly Urban throws her way into Nevada history
Lilly Urban's opportunity to become a college athlete almost came and went. The German native believed she was headed to the United States to compete at Nevada in 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on college sports and world travel appeared to close that chance. A couple of years later, Urban reconnected with the Wolf Pack and last week set the school record in the javelin with a throw of 52.56 meters (172 feet, 5 inches), besting the previous mark by three feet. Only a sophomore, Urban won bronze in javelin at last year's Mountain West Championships and reached the NCAA West Preliminary. For the great start to her college career, Urban is Nevada Sports Net's Wolf Pack Athlete of the Month for March.
You can watch our interview with Urban below or read the Q&A underneath that. This feature is presented in partnership with Champion Chevrolet.
Q&A with Lilly Urban
Nevada Sports Net: You set a school record for the javelin throw at 52.56 meters, about 172 feet, so you're talking about more than half a football field. Take us through that throw.
Lilly Urban: It was a first throw of the season actually. So, we were really thinking about that school record for a while now. Coach Scott (Williamson) and I worked hard to get that in the first competition. That was the goal set for us. And we went there and conditions were great. I did it on the first throw and it felt good.
Nevada Sports Net: What did it feel to accomplish that on your first throw? That must have been a lot of hard work that went in over the offseason to get ready for that throw and then to see that pay off had to be an amazing feeling.
Lilly Urban: I've been so nervous in the whole indoor season because I saw everyone compete, everyone reaching their goals and doing well, and I just waited for my event to come up because indoor started in December and I would get more and more nervous because practice was going really well. I knew it was somehow in me, and then the first throw was a relief to get it like done.
Nevada Sports Net: The team opened up that Reno-Tahoe track at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, that $5 million facility. Obviously, you guys are not throwing javelins in there. Like you said, you don't get to compete in indoor. What is that like watching your teammates be able to enjoy that facility and be able to go out and set personal best and have to wait to go out and compete as well.
Lilly Urban: It was great to see them compete. I love watching track. Whenever I get the time to, I just put it on the screen and watch it. So, it was fun to see all those personal records coming to see people having fun on the track again. It just made me more nervous to get back into my event because I started in the indoor season and did some some long jump, I did the pentathlon, but it's just not the same.
Nevada Sports Net: You showed out really well in your freshman season, which was last year in Nevada. You won a bronze medal at the Mountain West Championships in javelin and made it to the NCAA West Preliminaries. Your longest throw last year was about 49 meters, so you beat about by about 3.5 this year. What was some of your focus this offseason to try and continue to raise that bar?
Lilly Urban: I switched to multis group in practice, so we did a lot of running and a lot of jumps. My practice really changed a lot to doing more general strength and speed workouts. I think that contributed to that success.
Nevada Sports Net: Was that different for you in terms of training with them and training different parts of your body beyond just your arm?
Lilly Urban: Yeah, it's a bit different because they run a lot more. I did some hurdles, some long jump to get my head away from javelin a little because that can help sometimes. It's such a technical event. You have to think so much, and to get away from that sometimes helps to get better.
Nevada Sports Net: Not a lot of us have thrown a javelin in our life, but if we picked one up, what tips would you give us on how to throw the javelin far?
Lilly Urban: I'd say always have some strength in your core and let that arm long and let the throw come. Not try to really throw it. Just let it come to you.
Nevada Sports Net: You're originally from Germany. Can you tell us about how you got into the javelin? That's a fairly unique sport for someone to pick up at a young age.
Lilly Urban: That's true, but I started track and field when I was 6, so pretty young. My sister did it, so I really wanted to get into that. It was in a small, small village. I saw the older girls throw the javelin. I just wanted to do it, too. I told my coaches, "I want to try that out." I know I'm not the fastest. I was never the fastest kid, but I was always the one that could throw a ball pretty far. They let me try it out and it worked out so well I just stuck with it.
Nevada Sports Net: When did you want to come over to America? When was that a goal?
Lilly Urban: That's a fun story. I've actually wanted to go in 2020 when I finished my high school degree. But then COVID hit, and I actually got recruited from Coach Scott in that year, too. But when COVID came, my whole situation was changing and I wasn't sure if I could really come over. So, I kind of let that go and didn't go to the U.S., and a few years later, the whole thought came up again. Coach Scott recruited me again, and I finally ended up here.
Nevada Sports Net: What does it mean to you to be able to live this dream out because it sounds like you almost kind of miss the opportunity to do that?
Lilly Urban: Yeah, I almost missed out, and it's so great to have it now. But I just never knew how it would feel to make track a team sport and to compete in America and have that chance to be in the NCAA. It's just a great feeling to have it now. I would have missed out.
Nevada Sports Net: How did Coach Scott get a hold of you? Nicola Ader was a great athlete from Germany who competed for Wolf Pack track and field, so he must have connections over there. Were you reaching out to schools?
Lilly Urban: I was in organization and and they make you a profile. Coach Scott reached out to me and Nicola was his assistant coach at that time. I talked to her a lot, too, and I think it just felt like a match. She was German, too, and then they invited me over for a visit, and it just felt somehow warm and nice here. It felt so welcoming. I enjoyed being here, so it was a right feeling.
Nevada Sports Net: Where does that arm strength come from? You said you can throw a ball. Do they play baseball over there, softball over there or we you just throwing random balls?
Lilly Urban: I was just throwing random balls. I don't know (where it comes from) because my father was a distance runner. They thought I would maybe become a runner. It didn't turn out that way.
Nevada Sports Net: Tell us a little bit about life back in Germany. How was your upbringing and what was the village that you lived in?
Lilly Urban: It was like a really, really small town. Not even a town or village. It doesn't even have a supermarket or a school. So, I would go do track there because we had a really small track room with my coaches there. I went to high school in the town nearby and then I switched to another track and field team when I became older in Frankfurt, so I always had a really long way there. And then when I finished high school, I moved to Rostock. I just got to see a lot of different parts of Germany, and it was great, a great fun time everywhere. I loved my home track and field team in Frankfurt. They've always been super much fun.
Nevada Sports Net: What's Reno been like for you? Obviously a little bit different than Germany.
Lilly Urban: So so different. I used to go round by bike in Germany, which doesn't work out here.
Nevada Sports Net: A little bit more difficult.
Lilly Urban: It was a bit overwhelming with the new language and just to start studying here. But it's great because I always wanted to see the world. I love traveling. I've been to so many places, and I've seen the U.S. before, and Reno still felt like home even though it was somehow a big change.
Nevada Sports Net: So, no biking around Reno? What kind of car are you driving?
Lilly Urban: I don't have a car.
Nevada Sports Net: How do you get around? How did you get to the studio?
Lilly Urban: I took an Uber.
Nevada Sports Net: Oh, man. We'll get you back home. You don't have to pay an Uber to get back home. Thank you so much for coming into the studio.
For previous Wolf Pack Athletes of the Month Q&As, click here