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31 Laulauga Tausaga's year doesn't look like a typical season for a track and field athlete. For Tausaga, the 10 months of competition included winning a Big Ten Championship, being named Big Ten Athlete of the Year, NCAA discus champion, and an IAAF World Championship finalist. On July 28 at the USATF Outdoor Championship in Des Moines, Iowa, Tausaga finished third in the discus final to earn a spot on Team USA. With the season concluded for the Hawkeyes, Tausaga started training for the biggest meet of her career. "rough the whole process, as hard as it has been, I learned I needed to become comfortable with the idea of being alone if I was going to take my career to the professional level," Tausaga said. "No one else was still in season and it was hard for me to not practice with a team. But once you become comfortable with the loneliness, that's when you become your most confident self." Eric Werskey, University of Iowa throws coach, traveled with her overseas for the championship and provided a sense of home in a part of the world Tausaga had never experienced. "It was more like security for me. He was there to coach me through it all," Tausaga said. "He made me an itinerary to follow because I'm still in that college mindset, unlike most of the athletes that were there and no longer had coaches." "Coach (Joey) Woody, who competed at that level in college, understood what it was like to have your support system and coach in your corner during those major championships," Werskey said. "e work had already been done, but from a comfort and psychological standpoint, it went a long way. ankfully, we had the resources to make it happen." Tausaga le for Doha, Qatar, on Sept. 27. She was set to compete in the qualifying round Oct. 2. She spent the days leading up getting comfortable with her new surroundings. With practices set in the evenings because of the heat, Tausaga was lucky to not take a hit from the time change and never experienced jet lag. "I knew that I had made the team, but it didn't hit me hard until we landed and got off the plane. It finally hit me how far away from home I was," Tausaga said. "With Lagi, she is smooth sailing with a lot of things, but once you get her there, a switch flips," Werskey said. "She was a champ in that sense, because sometimes it would be the morning of and we're still figuring out things." Long days included workouts, practices, and meals with coach. She was surrounded by role models in the hotel, women she used to watch on YouTube. With the help of Werskey, Tausaga kept a focused mindset while the days went by. "On the inside, I was freaking out, yet on the outside, I looked calm and collected because one thing he always told me was that you need to fake it," Tausaga recalled Werskey saying. "If you show up looking and feeling like you don't belong there, it probably means that you shouldn't be. You earned your spot here. Act like it." Warmups were not what Tausaga had experienced before. Practice was held outside with temperatures as high as 123 degrees and 87-percent humidity. ey were escorted to the stadium aer practice to wait 30 minutes before competition. ey were held in call rooms until their section was ready. e temperature change is one thing, but the psychological aspect held a bigger impact for athletes. "We prepared for that over the summer. We practiced at the outdoor track and I had her sit in the shed for 30 minutes," Werskey said. "She would come out and take only two throws. Aer, we would start charting. Although those practices may not have been the best, it made her feel prepared psychologically." Tausaga hit a personal and school record 63.94-meters (209-feet, 9-inches) on her second