One of Connie Price-Smith's current prized pupils is Raven Saunders, who is coming off a tremendous sophomore season in which she broke collegiate records in the indoor and outdoor shot put and won the NCAA outdoor title. One of three women's finalists for the prestigious Bowerman Award, college track and field's highest individual honor, Saunders has used her goal of making it to Rio as a motivator all season.
"Rio has always been the main goal for me," said the Charleston, South Carolina, native. "Everything else has been a tune-up, a way to work up to that meet. When I was dreaming about it, I had to dream in chronological order. So I'd have to dream, 'this is what I'm going to do at conference, this is what I'm going to do at regionals, nationals, Olympic Trials, and then Rio.' It keeps me grounded and thinking about the now while still being able to imagine what I'm going to do in the future.".
