OLE MISS GIVES LUKENS A `SHOT'

Cape Central graduate Laura Lukens' talents in the discus and shot put are easy to see looking at her all-state career in high school.

Apparently, it didn't take Mississippi track and field coach Joe Walker long to figure out Lukens would be a great addition to his Lady Rebels' team. Lukens signed a track and field scholarship with Ole Miss recently.

Walker was on vacation and unavailable for comment, but when asked how long the Ole Miss program had been recruiting her, Lukens said with a laugh, "It wasn't too long."

In fact, Ole Miss didn't recruit Lukens until early this summer after seeing her at the AAU Junior Nationals in Edwardsville, Ill. Although she didn't place at the event in the discus, Lukens reputation and obvious talents were enough to interest Ole Miss.

"The coach at Mizzou had talked about me and that's how (Mississippi) found out about me," Lukens said. "They came up to Junior Nationals to watch me throw, and it kind of went from there."

Lukens, who won Class 4A state titles in both the discus and the shot put this past season, had received plenty of attention from recruiters at universities such as Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri before Mississippi entered the picture. A recruiting visit to the campus in Oxford sold Lukens on Ole Miss.

"It's really a homey place down there; everybody's really friendly," Lukens said. "It's a nice place for me."

Mississippi's pharmacy program was also a selling point for the former Lady Tiger Academic All-American.

"They have a really great pharmacy program," said Lukens. "One of the top ones in the nation actually."

Lukens was an all-state fixture in her field events the last three years. In her junior year, Lukens placed second in the discus and fifth in the shot. Her sophomore year, she took fifth in the discus.

Lukens also excelled on the basketball court for the Lady Tigers, earning all-conference and all-district honors her senior season. Lukens played basketball all four years, starting the final three.

But now she will take her considerable talents to a school several miles away and in the tough Southeastern Conference. Lukens is ready for the challenge.

"I'm kind of ready for a new experience and meeting new people," Lukens said. "It will be fun."