ALLENDALE – When Paige Westra was at Zeeland East, she was constantly on the go, becoming an all-state athlete in three sports.

She committed to Grand Valley State for track and field to focus on one thing, simplifying her college career – or so she thought.

Westra has competed in the shot put and discus for the Lakers the past two seasons, but has done so in constant, agonizing pain.

A torn labrum in her left hip changed the course of her career. She fought through the excruciating pain to finish 13th at nationals in the discus, earning second-team All-American honors, but then opted for surgery.

It didn’t go as planned.

“It was less painful than it is right now believe it or not. I competed through that through nationals with it torn my whole sophomore year. I got surgery last year and medically redshirted and had seven months of PT,” Westra said. “The surgery has an 85% success rate. They had to shave off part of my hip bone. Now I am going through things again and see if it is still torn.”

The pain is even worse now. Her first twist for her throw is agonizing, as is the finish. The actual throw is not as painful, allowing her to still get considerable distance – something that keeps her going.

“It still hurts more than it did before surgery. It is an ache all the time but sharp at some points. I can’t sit on it for more than 40 minutes. It hurts to sleep on. When you turn right over your left hip to start your throw. When I do my reverse back into the circle it pinches then,” she said.

If the physical pain wasn’t enough, it is something she is constantly thinking about – and worrying about.

“The pain of it is terrible, but the mental side of it has been even harder. It is going to hurt no matter what I do, so I have to find a way to push through that pain. If I focus on the pain, I am not going to be doing what I need to do,” she said. “I try to put it on the backburner until after the meet.”

A second surgery is an option after the outdoor season, Westra said.

Somehow, she is still throwing monster distances despite the severe injury and being half the size of some of her opponents.

“I am used to being around strong, built women. It is interesting to I can still throw as far as many of them,” she said. “I started track in middle school. Running was the main thing and I would always watch Brittany Casey (Westra, now her sister-in-law). Most throwers were built, and she wasn’t really, and I looked up to her so much. I always enjoyed it because I didn’t spend all my time thinking about it.”

That is why she chose track and field over soccer, where she was an all-state performer and lethal scorer, and football where she became the first female to earn first-team all-state honors in Michigan history.

“It would have been fun to play football in college, but I didn’t really pursue that because I didn’t think it was in the cards,” she said. “I loved soccer and played since I could walk. I think that was part of my decision. I was almost soccered-out. I was nervous before every soccer game and putting too much pressure on myself, so it wasn’t as fun as it used to be.”

Throwing, it turns out, has been even more fun than she expected, at least when she is not in blinding pain.

After reaching nationals last year, she currently sits sixth in NCAA Division II in the indoor shot put with a throw of 15.74 meters (51 feet, 7 3/4 inches) – her career best.

“I set it up how I practice. I got over my left foot, actually held my shoulders back and got my left foot through. It was all set up perfect for me. It felt amazing,” she said. “I want to place at nationals and get an All-American. And do both in outdoor.”

After 13th injured last year, those goals seem within reach – if she is healthy enough.

“Healthy I would hope to get top three at nationals,” she said. “The goal is to compete after college, but I am not sure if that is in the cards for me. We’ll see if my hip is healthy.”

Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as  Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.   

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: GVSU’s Paige Westra pushes through pain to be one of top throwers in NCAA

Reporting by Dan D’Addona, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel

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