Girls high school track: Avon Lake twins Brooke and Bree Lumpkin have real shot at making state

When the high school sports season was shut down last spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brooke and Bree Lumpkin could have felt sorry for themselves. Instead they went to work. The Avon Lake senior twins continued to train on their own for most of the remainder of what would have been the outdoor track season, even doing a six-week session with internationally recognized throws coach Andy Vince at his Florida Track Club at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. "That helped us a lot because we were able to work from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. just on our throws," Brooke said. "We also got to learn javelin down there, which was nice. We found out about him when we were researching ways to keep at it while we were visiting our grandparents in Florida." The work obviously paid off. Both sisters excelled during the recent indoor season which culminated March 6 at the 17th annual Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches state meet at SPIRE Institute in Geneva. Brooke, an outdoor state qualifier in the shot put in 2019, won the indoor state title with a throw of 42 feet, 3.25 inches while Bree finished third with a throw of 40-4.25. "They're incredibly hard-working girls and really a joy to work with," Avon Lake throws coach Bob D'Andrea said. "They're such good people. Their indoor season was a pleasant surprise to all of us. Our goal is to get them both to state. Once they get down there it's anybody's game but I really think they have a shot to do well down at state. Hopefully, we can get them into the finals and see where it goes." Both sisters have been into athletics since they were young, beginning in CYO track in fifth grade at St. Joseph School in Avon Lake. Bree started off as a jumper in track before she followed her sister to the throwing ring as a freshman. In addition to track and field, they also did varsity swimming for three years — both were multiple district qualifiers — varsity volleyball for three years and basketball for two years. At a younger age, they played soccer and softball, did karate and competed in rec swimming. They both plan to continue their throwing careers while majoring in business at Walsh University in Canton. They signed their letters of intent Dec. 19. "When I was little I didn't know what my event was going to be," Brooke said. "I was kind of just going around trying things. There was something I really liked about the shot put. I love feeling strong and powerful. Learning the form was pretty tough for me at first. I picked up some pretty bad habits. Working on them now has made me feel way better with it. I just learned to love it. It's just a safe space for me." Brooke was the Division I Amherst regional runner-up with a throw of 42-5 in 2019. Bree missed a spot at state by two positions, finishing sixth with a throw of 38-2.75. Brooke went on to place 15th at the state meet with a mark of 37-3.5. "What motivates me is getting better and hopefully making it to the state meet and to nationals," said Bree, who also competes in the pole vault. "I'm looking forward to being very competitive there. Overall, I've been competitive since I was a kid and I just carry that through everything I do. I started jumping when I was in CYO. I did high jump and long jump plus I did pole vault, as well. When I first tried throwing in high school I just fell in love with throwing overall and it just made me more competitive." Brooke's best indoor shot put is 42-10 which she recorded at Youngstown in January. Her best outdoor mark is 41-5 set at the 2019 Berea Titan Relays. Bree's best indoor mark in shot is 40-6 and her best outdoor mark 38-10, also at the 2019 Berea meet. Brooke's top discus throw from 2019 is 111-7. Bree's best pole vault is 10-0. The qualifying standard for outdoor nationals in the shot put is 41-2. It's a mark within range for both sisters, who are lifting three days a week in an effort to improve their chances. "We've really tried emphasizing power lifting junior and senior years," Brooke said. "We didn't emphasize it so much our first two years of high school but now we are." Competing in swimming along with indoor track during the winter has been a real benefit. "Swimming makes me a lot stronger when it comes to track," Bree said. "It conditions me in an aspect like no other sport would. I think it helps me tremendously when I throw." Their parents, Lloyd and Kelly, were athletes, as well. Lloyd went to Brookside where he competed in football and track (high jump, throws). Kelly attended Lorain Catholic where she played volleyball, basketball and softball. Brittany Ritvo, their sister, played softball for the Shoregals. "They're such good people to work with," D'Andrea said of the twins. "So many today are judgmental about younger people, but these are such fine young people. I can't say enough about them. I think one day I can see Brooke and Bree both running companies. They're just unreal and such a pleasure to work with. They have a sense of humor, they don't get upset, they help the other kids. They work with them." Although Brooke and Bree are fraternal twins, D'Andrea still has trouble telling them apart. "I honestly thought at first that they were identical twins," he said. "I keep getting them confused. Eventually I'm going to be able to tell the difference. They always look so much alike and they always have a smile on their face. If show at practice and your kids are smiling and happy, what more can you ask for. 'You want to work for 5-6 hours? Fine, I'll be up there.' Their drive, their work ethic is something else. "I told them that they are competitors. You will not see them at a meet and without giving everything they got and doing their best. They will get their best throws in in meets. Like any really great competitor, you can count on them. When their adrenaline is flowing they are likely to do anything in a positive way. They are competitors. We have boys on the team and other girls on the team. They are there to compete." Contact Paul Heyse at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.