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Getting To Know Talin Lewis
April 24, 2019 | Track & Field, Features
Freshman long jumper and 400m hurdler Talin Lewis is settling in nicely during his first season on the USC track and field team. He is coming off a week which saw him finish sixth in the long jump and post his fastest 400m hurdles time of the season at the Mt. SAC Relays. Lewis was the 2018 Oaks Christian Triple Crown Award winner for outstanding athletics, academics and Christian character. We had a chance to catch up with him the other day.
Q – How has the transition from high school to college been for you?
T.L. – I've liked it so far. All of my teammates are super competitive and I am too, so just going at some of the best in the world at practice every day, every rep has been fun. Competing with all the guys is what I came here for, so it has been good.
Q – You are majoring in Human Biology. What area would you like to pursue in that field?
T.L. – I'm not really sure right now. When I came in I was thinking about physical therapy, but right now I'm thinking about sports psychology. I'm not really sure yet what I would like to do with the major, but I know I like biology and how the body works and learning about stuff like that.
Q – How has it been for you learning to balance academics and athletics here at USC?
T.L. – I feel like my high school really prepared me well. It is definitely harder that I thought it was going to be. Finding that balance of being really good in the classroom and really good at my sport is something I'm still working through, but I'm getting there.
Q – How did you choose USC?
T.L. – Coach Caryl saw me at one of my last meets last season and she said we want you to come to USC. I said, if I get in, I'm going!
Q – What is the culture on the track and field team at USC?
T.L. – I like everything about it. I was talking with my dad about this the other day. The level of greatness that everyone has here is amazing. All of the coaches are accomplished, most of the athletes are some of the best in the world or some of the best in college or were the best in high school, so the level of greatness is across the board. There are really good examples (all around you) of where you can be if you trust your coaches and trust your training.
Q – You have done mostly jumping and hurdling so far. What is your favorite event?
T.L. – Coming into this year my favorite thing to do was definitely the 300m hurdles in high school, but as the season has gone along, I have been jumping a lot more. I like jumping. That was the first event I did in 8th grade and I've really fell in love with the long jumping again.
Q – Do you have any goals for the rest of your season?
T.L. – Just to finish strong and stay injury free. Finish strong, maybe hit a few PRs in the upcoming meets and compete at the highest level I can.
Q – What have you learned about yourself during this first year at USC?
T.L. – To have faith in myself….that I'm good enough to compete on this level. Coming in I thought I was going to be worse than I am right now. As soon as I realized I can compete with these guys and I'm at the same level as them and I'm here for a reason, that's when I mentally became stronger and realized what I can do moving forward.
Q – You graduated from Oaks Christian as have several of your current teammates. How has that been reuniting with former teammates here at USC?
T.L. – There are three teammates on this team that were teammates of mine when I was a junior in high school – Nick Moore, Lauren Rain Williams and Cassidy Palka. Cassidy was in my jumps group in high school so coming into a jumps group here with her in it was really comfortable for me. Nick is one of my close friends as we took Chinese together in high school. That is really good, too, to have someone to look up to and I looked up to him in high school because he was always fast and that is why he is here. My family is good friends with Lauren's parents, so I'm close to all of those people.
Q – You were born in Minnesota, how did you end up in California?
T.L. – When I was young, my dad and his partner decided we are going to move to California to pursue music (producing) and I think they did pretty good at that, so that is why I'm here now.
Q – You have a big family. Are any of your siblings athletes?
T.L. – My younger sister is a dancer and my older siblings played sports, but not in college, so I'm the first one in my family.
Q – What did being named Oaks Christian Male Track Athlete of the Year mean to you?
T.L. – My whole high school career I looked up to the guys that were getting this award and I thought I'm never going to be there. I was a basketball player, and a basketball player first, and it wasn't until my senior year that I was able to dominate the people I was competing against and I had the mentality that I would go onto the track and no one could beat me. It meant to me that I had made it and accomplished all of the things I wanted to accomplish.
Q – How has the transition from high school to college been for you?
T.L. – I've liked it so far. All of my teammates are super competitive and I am too, so just going at some of the best in the world at practice every day, every rep has been fun. Competing with all the guys is what I came here for, so it has been good.
Q – You are majoring in Human Biology. What area would you like to pursue in that field?
T.L. – I'm not really sure right now. When I came in I was thinking about physical therapy, but right now I'm thinking about sports psychology. I'm not really sure yet what I would like to do with the major, but I know I like biology and how the body works and learning about stuff like that.
Q – How has it been for you learning to balance academics and athletics here at USC?
T.L. – I feel like my high school really prepared me well. It is definitely harder that I thought it was going to be. Finding that balance of being really good in the classroom and really good at my sport is something I'm still working through, but I'm getting there.
Q – How did you choose USC?
T.L. – Coach Caryl saw me at one of my last meets last season and she said we want you to come to USC. I said, if I get in, I'm going!
Q – What is the culture on the track and field team at USC?
T.L. – I like everything about it. I was talking with my dad about this the other day. The level of greatness that everyone has here is amazing. All of the coaches are accomplished, most of the athletes are some of the best in the world or some of the best in college or were the best in high school, so the level of greatness is across the board. There are really good examples (all around you) of where you can be if you trust your coaches and trust your training.
Q – You have done mostly jumping and hurdling so far. What is your favorite event?
T.L. – Coming into this year my favorite thing to do was definitely the 300m hurdles in high school, but as the season has gone along, I have been jumping a lot more. I like jumping. That was the first event I did in 8th grade and I've really fell in love with the long jumping again.
Q – Do you have any goals for the rest of your season?
T.L. – Just to finish strong and stay injury free. Finish strong, maybe hit a few PRs in the upcoming meets and compete at the highest level I can.
Q – What have you learned about yourself during this first year at USC?
T.L. – To have faith in myself….that I'm good enough to compete on this level. Coming in I thought I was going to be worse than I am right now. As soon as I realized I can compete with these guys and I'm at the same level as them and I'm here for a reason, that's when I mentally became stronger and realized what I can do moving forward.
Q – You graduated from Oaks Christian as have several of your current teammates. How has that been reuniting with former teammates here at USC?
T.L. – There are three teammates on this team that were teammates of mine when I was a junior in high school – Nick Moore, Lauren Rain Williams and Cassidy Palka. Cassidy was in my jumps group in high school so coming into a jumps group here with her in it was really comfortable for me. Nick is one of my close friends as we took Chinese together in high school. That is really good, too, to have someone to look up to and I looked up to him in high school because he was always fast and that is why he is here. My family is good friends with Lauren's parents, so I'm close to all of those people.
Q – You were born in Minnesota, how did you end up in California?
T.L. – When I was young, my dad and his partner decided we are going to move to California to pursue music (producing) and I think they did pretty good at that, so that is why I'm here now.
Q – You have a big family. Are any of your siblings athletes?
T.L. – My younger sister is a dancer and my older siblings played sports, but not in college, so I'm the first one in my family.
Q – What did being named Oaks Christian Male Track Athlete of the Year mean to you?
T.L. – My whole high school career I looked up to the guys that were getting this award and I thought I'm never going to be there. I was a basketball player, and a basketball player first, and it wasn't until my senior year that I was able to dominate the people I was competing against and I had the mentality that I would go onto the track and no one could beat me. It meant to me that I had made it and accomplished all of the things I wanted to accomplish.
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