Portage senior Shaffer signs to run at Bucknell University
Nov. 11—PORTAGE — Growing up in a small town such as Portage, senior Lauren Shaffer has always valued relationships and trust.
Those key elements helped sway Shaffer into signing her National Letter of Intent to join the NCAA Division I cross country and track and field teams at Bucknell University, a member of the Patriot League.
She will be coached by Kevin Donner, whose wife Amy (Miko) is a Portage native, in Lewisburg.
"That played a really big part in it because he knows me so well," Shaffer said of Donner, who coached at St. Francis from 1996-2001. "He knows my background. If I go to a school that really didn't know me as well, I'd be afraid of getting hurt. I'd be afraid of just knowing my full potential. He pretty much knows exactly where I came from. He's been talking to (coach) Lance (Hudak) for years. I just feel like he knows me so well.
"It just feels good to finally say I'm going there. It's such a great place. I'm just so excited to be there."
Shaffer, a two-time PIAA Class 1A silver medalist in cross country in 2018 and 2021, will major in biology. She became the first athlete from Portage to join a Division I program since Randy Spaid (2006-St. Francis basketball) and first female since Stacy Alexander (1992-St. Francis basketball).
"She is a special kid," said Hudak, who leads the basketball, cross country and track and field programs at Portage.
"Academically and athletically, you have the whole package with Lauren Shaffer. I just think it's a perfect fit for her. The proximity, our relationship with Coach Donner and his wife Amy, it feels like family for all of us."
Shaffer has played integral roles on the basketball, cross country, softball and track and field teams at Portage. She earned District 6 titles while on the basketball squad (2020) and individually in cross country (2019 and 2020) and track (2019-100 meters and 2021-400 and 1600). Shaffer has garnered four additional PIAA medals in track, which includes a sixth-place finish in the 400 in 2019 and three awards in 2021 (bronze in the 1600, fifth in the 400 and seventh in the 800). She has been named the Central Western Coaches All-Area cross country Runner of the Year in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Shaffer also broke the school's stolen base record on the softball diamond in 2021.
"A kid with that skill set, the fastest in the district in the 100 meters and the fastest in the district in 5,000 meters, it's just really unheard of," Hudak said.
"It adds to the aura and legend of Lauren Shaffer. It was great just to be a part of her development in a little way to see her grow. It's a great moment for her because I know she has said a number of times, 'I feel relaxed. The pressure's off.' "
Shaffer chose Bucknell over Bowling Green, Duquesne, Penn State and Pitt.
"Bucknell was a very different visit than all the others because it's more of a private school," Shaffer said. "I liked the smaller aspect. The big school, I feel like I'd get lost."
She is eager to see how much she can grow as a runner while worrying only about cross country and track.
"There's so much that I think I'm leaving behind with going from basketball to softball, especially with track," Shaffer said. "I think there's a lot of growth there because I'm splitting the time all season. I never thought I'd be running in college. I always thought I'd be maybe playing Division III basketball somewhere. That was my dream for a while. But then, when I got to running in ninth grade and saw how awesome I did at the state meet, I'm like, 'I really like this. This is it.' I want to keep doing this."
Shaffer is the daughter of Phillip and Jennifer Shaffer, of Portage.
Jake Oswalt is a copy editor for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TheWizOfOz11.
