Durango High School shot put and discus thrower, Breann Hawman, has had quite the senior year.
She is currently ranked No. 15 in the Class 4A Colorado High School Activities Association’s discus rankings, and is No. 16 in shot put.
Her throwing talent has allowed her to sign a letter of intent to compete for track and field powerhouse Adams State University, where she’ll continue to do what she does best in the coming years.
What makes Hawman’s success this season so remarkable is that she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to walk again after a freak accident less than eight months ago.
“I was just getting up to go to school,” said Hawman, daughter of Charles and Vicky Hawman. “We had relatives in town and I offered up my room so I slept in the loft that night. I got out of bed and onto the ladder to get down, and the ladder just fell out from under me.”
Hawman split her head open on the kitchen table, but it was her back that took the brunt of the damage.
Her mom was the first to come to her aid, and the first thing Hawman remembers is asking the medics if she can still throw.
“They said we needed to make sure I could walk first, and that was scary to hear,” she said. “I remember getting my X-rays and being groggy from the pain killers, wondering where my parents were and what was wrong with me.”
Hawman suffered compression fractures of the T12 (12th Thoracic Vertabra) and L1 (First Lumbar Vertebra) in her back.
“When the doctors told us my back was broken, we were all devastated,” Hawman said. “But, after awhile, the doctors put me in a back brace and I got up and walked to the bathroom. It was a huge relief for everyone.”
While the walking was a relief, the road back was hardly that. She needed constant help and couldn’t get out of bed on her own. She went to rehab for six weeks just to be able to get around like normal again, and now she’s worked her way into top-15 in the state form.
“We weren’t sure that she’d ever throw again,” Durango head coach David McMillan said. “I talked to her parents and the prognosis wasn’t good, but, even then, Bree was extremely upbeat about coming back and throwing. There was never a question in her mind.”
She didn’t just recover enough to participate, Hawman has been the top thrower for Durango all season and continues to improve each day.
In recent weeks, she won both throwing events at the Pine River Invitational a week after a posting a first-place shot put finish at the Aztec Invitational.
Most recently, she racked up second and third-place finishes last weekend in Grand Junction Central’s Warrior Invitational.
When the time comes for her to stop throwing, Hawman plans on pursuing a career in wildlife biology. She recently completed an internship with the Colorado Division of Wildlife where she “did a lot of paperwork” and hopes to eventually to into law enforcement and become a fish and game warden.
For now, however, Hawman is just happy to be doing what she loves.
“It’s crazy to think that just a few months ago I was laying there helpless, thinking I might never walk again,” she said. “Now, I’m going after state titles and school records, and that’s awesome.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
Behind the scenes
What is your favorite sports movie?: The Longest Ride
What is your favorite area restaurant?: Chavolo’s in Bayfield
Who is your celebrity crush?: Bull rider Lane Frost
Do you have a pregame ritual or superstition?: I never watch any of the competitors and I listen to music until the last possible second.
What music do you listen to before you compete?: Mostly rap music. I don’t even care what they say I just need some high intensity music to get me going.
What’s your favorite sport other than track and field?: I used to play basketball
Who is your favorite athlete?: J.J. Watt.
What is your favorite book?: City of Thieves by David Benioff.
Do you have any hidden talents?: I can do the wave with my tongue.
What place would you like to visit one day?: Galapagos Islands because of all the wildlife
