Author: The Crusader Staff Writer Jose Hernandez
Luke Thierfelder is a member of Belmont Abbey’s track and field team, with a focus in the men’s javelin throw. Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Luke is an Interdisciplinary Studies major with a focus in Psychology. In his freshman year, Luke went undefeated in the season, winning six meets in a row before breaking his own school record and winning the Conference Carolinas Championship in 2022 with a mark of 58.69m. Now a sophomore, Luke has thrown past the provisional standard for the national qualifier with a mark of 64.59m at the UNCW Seahawk Invitational. Here is some insight with the Belmont Abbey phenom:
How did you get involved with track and field, and what drew you to the javelin?
I wasn’t involved in track and field at all until my senior year of high school. Up until that point I had only played football, but I knew I wanted to compete in a sport at the collegiate level. I had to make a decision between football or another sport and I chose to pursue another sport because I knew I wasn’t going to be given an opportunity to play football in college. I asked my Dad, who is a former D1 and Olympic athlete who was also a long time D1 track coach, what event he thought I should do and he said “why don’t you try javelin.” I had no idea what javelin was until my Dad suggested it to me. I got a javelin that Christmas and I threw in my first AAU meet at UNC Charlotte the following spring.
With exceptions to the members on the team, people don’t know that your dad is actually your coach. How do the two of you balance between father-son to coach-athlete?
My Dad and I have a very strong relationship outside of track so the transition to him being my coach was effortless. His coaching style is very unique in the sense that he knows exactly how to tailor to the individual. He knows me better than anyone so as a coach he knows exactly how to work with my personality as it relates to training and competing. My Dad and I are very similar in the sense that we are both incredibly intense and competitive people and we are constantly trying to improve. I think what makes the situation work so well is that we equally want it, meaning he’s not pushing me to throw javelin and I’m not pushing him to be my coach, we are both doing it because we love the sport and enjoy working together.
Describe one of your least favorite workouts.
There really isn’t a workout I don’t genuinely enjoy, I don’t want to be “that guy” but it’s true, I absolutely love training and improving and working through the process of the offseason. I think as long as you have a vision and a goal in mind no amount of training is too difficult or challenging. To love training is to love the sport itself, without it you have nothing.
Along with being a javelin thrower, what are some hobbies or skills you have that may surprise people?
Along with being a javelin thrower I enjoy singing, mainly in the operatic genre and classical setting. I work with a voice teacher weekly and we are currently preparing for the metropolitan opera council auditions this coming July.
Where has been one of your favorite meets to travel to?
One of my favorite meets that I’ve traveled to was to the University of Tennessee last season. I got to compete alongside some very advanced throwers, including Olympic qualifiers and US national qualifiers.
Who are some people in your daily life that you find as good mentors or sources of inspiration?
I could fill pages with people in my life that inspire me and drive me to be the best person I can, certainly my family, all my brothers and sisters inspire me every day with their example and my parents of course are huge inspirations to me and I am incredibly grateful to God every day that I have them. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a mentor of mine that recently passed away, his name was Tom Savoy. He was my piano teacher and accompanist and he was a very dear friend and mentor to me, not just in music but in life as well. I will always remember the lessons and advice he shared with me in our time together.
What are some lessons you’ve learned, while being a college athlete, you feel you can carry throughout the rest of your life?
I think as a student athlete in college you have to learn balance early on. Balance in training, school work, relationships, and everything else in between, it’s essential. If I had to pick just one thing though that I’ve learned from being a student athlete, it would be discipline. What are some other events in track and field do you enjoy watching? I love track, so every event is really fun to watch but if I had to pick my top 3 I would choose 100m, 400m and triple jump.
This article was originally posted in the Spring 2023, Issue 3 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue here.
