In the spring of 2012, Murray State junior Alexis Love earned the honor of Athlete of the Championship at the Ohio Valley Conference meet. Among the top sprinters in the nation at the time, she later advanced deep into the NCAA Championships and the USA Olympic trials in the 100 and 200 meter events.She came close to realizing her dream of competing in the 2012 London Summer Olympics and now is ready to give it another try when the USA Olympic Trials are held this week in Eugene, Oregon at Hayward Field.
“I would use the word confident, because I know the territory and I have the experience,” Love said from her hometown of Palmetto, Florida. “It just means I’ll be comfortable and familiar.”
Since graduating from Murray State in 2013, Love has carved out a career as one of the top sprinters in the country the hard way. Void of a sponsorship contract, Love is a full-time self-funded professional athlete. She couldn’t train as needed without excellent coaches and caring supporters.
“From the bottom of my heart I just really want to thank everyone that has helped me,” Love said. “I’m not on a Nike contract, only gear-based. Many people help me with my day to day expenses and the support means a lot to me. It makes it that much easier to go out and do what I have a passion for. When I’m running, I’m not thinking of myself, I’m thinking of all the people who have helped me get this far. I owe that to them.”
Dennis Mitchell, a former Olympian, medaled in both the 1992 and 1996 games and he coaches Love. Her training partners are other world class sprinters who motivate and push Love to perform at the top of her game on a daily basis.
“At least 40 hours a week I’m on the track, in the gym, taking care of my body,” she said. “It has definitely been a journey since I left Murray State. This is a bit different (than in running in college) because we’re all fast on the professional level, but that makes it much more interesting and fun on my end.”
Love runs at Hayward Field in the USA Olympic Trials Saturday (July 2) in the 100m prelims and will be eyeing the semifinals and finals before she competes six days later (July 8) in 200m prelims.
Her personal records in the events include a 100m time of 11.28 from 2012 and a 200m time this past spring of 22.63.
Love qualified for the USA Olympic Trials (May 27) at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She posted an 11.29 (just off her PR) in the 100 and set the aforementioned PR of 22.63 in the 200.
At the top tier of world class running, mental preparation means as much as physical. A millisecond is usually the difference in advancing or not.
“I try to keep in mind that I just need to be myself, which is being relaxed, calm, and full of joy,” Love said. “Some athletes go to a big championship and change what they do at home. I’m going into this knowing that yes, I’m competing for a spot on the Olympic team. But at the same time, I just have to be calm and relaxed and let my natural talent show. I listen to my gospel music, I stream lifetime movies and I love to read. This keeps my mind off of things and when it comes time to get ready, I’ll do the necessary things to prepare myself.”
Does she allow for thoughts of what it would be like to make Team USA and compete in the Rio de Janeiro games?
“Of course, I’ve had thoughts of what it would be like to make the Olympic Team,” Love added. “However, I choose to focus on what I need to do daily in order to put myself in the best situation possible.”
“Yes, I know this is a huge opportunity. It’s anybody’s race when you step foot on that line. I just have to trust God and do everything in my power to run well. The hard part is done. Now it’s time to execute.”
There is more to Alexis Love than competing. If you peruse her website ALove4Track.com, you’ll see more about what’s important to her. Her faith is important along with the large group of people who know her and support her.
“My faith is the most important thing to me,” Love said. “I know that God has blessed me with this talent and I owe it all to him. There are a lot of people in the world who have a huge platform and they do whatever they want to do with it and that is fine. But for me, I chose to glorify him. Not everyone has the ability to wake up every day and to run and do it on such a large platform. I’m only 25 years old and competing at the Olympic Trials for the second time, this is great and God is good! I’ve put in a lot of hours to get here and I couldn’t have done it on my own and I want everyone to know that.”
All of Racer Nation will be rooting for Alexis Love and maybe we’ll see her as part of Team USA when the Olympic Games begin (Aug. 5) with the opening ceremony at Maracanã Stadium in Rio.
Alexis Love – Murray State Accomplishments
Indoor
60-Meter Dash 7.42 2012 (Murray State record)
200-Meter Dash 23.66 2012 (Murray State record)
Outdoor
100-Meter Dash 11.28 2012 (2nd) (MSU Record holder: Heather Samuel 11.00 1994)
200-Meter Dash 23.03 2012 (Murray State record)
4×100 Meter Relay 45.63 2012 (Murray State record) Sharda Bettis, Halie Holloway, LaShea Shaw & Alexis Love
Awards
Four total OVC event championships
OVC Female Track Athlete of the Year 2012
OVC Athlete of the Championship 2012
NCAA All-America 100 meter event 2012
NCAA All-America 200 meter outdoor event 2012
NCAA All-America 200 meter indoor event 2012