Lauryn Heskin becomes the picture-perfect teammate for Lehigh women’s track and field

Lauryn Heskin’s photo album is a dense and detailed collection, keeping hundreds of moments frozen in time.

Her colorful array of photos seems endless as she searches for a particular shot. The images range from track and field action shots to European travel content, especially from her internship in Croatia last summer.

As the senior middle-distance runner for the Lehigh women’s track and field team scrolls through her camera roll, she pauses to point out a few photos — still-shots of her teammates before and after their events. 

“I think those photos end up being the most special to me or the ones that stand out, because they really do tell a story,” Heskin said. “You can really capture nervousness and excitement. You can definitely see their emotions through the picture.”

She understands the emotions surrounding the buildup to a race. For four years, Heskin has experienced the anticipation of the starting pistol, both first-hand and from behind the lens. What originally began as a hobby has since become a meaningful contribution to her team’s culture.

Long before she began taking pictures of her teammates, others took pictures of her.

Growing up in Floral Park, New York, Heskin ran track most of her life. She started competing at 5 years old for a local team before joining a more competitive club two years later. 

For school events and track meets, Heskin’s grandfather was always there, camera in hand, snapping photos of her. At the time, she admitted, she felt embarrassed by the attention.

But, as she grew older, she came to appreciate the gesture. It was through him that she began experimenting with photography.

“(My grandfather) would let me play around with his camera a lot as a kid,” Heskin recalled. “Then, I think it was maybe fourth or fifth grade, I saved up money and bought my first camera, and I liked taking photos of everything.”

With her newfound passion, she sought to master the craft. She said she would binge-watch YouTube tutorials about Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom in her free time.

Through trial and error, her talent developed.

When she began high school, she joined the photography club at the Marymount School of New York, an all-girls preparatory school in the city. Heskin served as the vice president and later president, further honing her skills.

Simultaneously, she continued running. Heskin enjoyed an accomplished career, setting the 1500-meter record in the New York State Association of Independent Schools in 2019. She also captained both the cross-country and track teams.

When she came to Lehigh in fall 2021, she joined the track and field team and immediately began taking photos.

Lehigh sprint and middle-distance runner Simone Davey, ’24, prepares for her race at last year’s Patriot League Championships, which took place on May. 3 to May 4, 2024 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Current senior Lauryn Heskin said pre-race portraits are some of her favorites. (Courtesy of Lauryn Heskin)

Track meets are structured to separate event groups, with each running at different times. All athletes, regardless of competition time, attend. This format leaves significant downtime for many athletes as they wait for their events to begin. 

Heskin said she saw this window as an opportunity to capture and commemorate her teammates’ events.

“(My first) year, I would just show up with my camera, and I would just take photos,” she said. “I wasn’t really posting (the photos); I would just send them to my teammates.”

After staying under the radar for a year, Lehigh took notice of this hobby. During her sophomore year, Heskin enrolled in a journalism practicum course with Lehigh Athletics and started photographing meets and other sporting events.

She said she appreciated that the opportunity allowed her to connect with teams like women’s soccer and field hockey. However, despite the new experiences, she always returned to where she started.

Her favorite photo subjects are still her teammates. Beyond capturing her friends in action, she feels that her work adds an additional layer of support for her team.

“We’re not like a basketball or soccer team, where a lot of different students or spectators are coming,” Heskin said. “I think (taking photos) definitely helps. I’ve noticed, even this year, a few more people on my team are starting to take photos, and I think it’s overall helping the team culture, because we’re all supporting the different event groups.”

Riley Morrell, senior middle-distance runner and Heskin’s teammate, said Heskin’s photos have played a key role in uniting the team, giving everyone the chance to relive shared memories.

She also said Heskin is a “great photographer” who has captured many moments of the team enjoying each other’s company. 

“Being able to look back and reminisce on all of our hard work and how much you can see that we enjoy being on the team and working hard together, it just shows (Heskin’s) commitment to be part of the team,” she said.

Morrell also said Heskin’s work ethic and resilience have inspired many of her teammates, making her a role model and leader by example.

“I can see the (first-years) on our team looking up to her and being like, ‘That’s what I want to do. I want to be working as hard as her and be as committed to the sport,’” Morrell said. 

Heskin experienced numerous injuries throughout her first few seasons at Lehigh.

While she said her recovery from injury was difficult, particularly because she was unable to enjoy her teammates’ successes alongside them and experienced feelings of “FOMO,” she found fulfillment in capturing their competition moments.

Even while sidelined, Heskin said, she attended every meet, continuously shooting portraits and action shots. She then came to befriend Don Paul, the track and field team’s official photographer who became a mentor.

Their professional partnership began when Heskin was a first-year. Paul said he saw her trying to take photos, and he wanted to offer a helping hand and pay forward the guidance he received throughout his career.

He said Heskin initially wasn’t reaching the full potential of her camera, struggling with operating the composition and settings on her camera. 

The two partnered to take pictures of the high jump, an event with many moving parts. Paul said he assisted her with the positioning, then let her do the rest. He recalled being impressed with her fast-learning ability.

“The pictures that she was showing me were really quite well done for somebody with that little amount of experience taking pictures of (the high jump),” Paul said.

Lehigh jumper Brittann Pierce ’23 clears the high jump bar at the Patriot League Championships in Annapolis, Maryland on Feb. 26, 2023. Current senior Lauryn Heskin began photographing the high jump on this day alongside Don Paul, the track and field team’s official photographer.(Courtesy of Lauryn Heskin)

Since that day, the two have worked in tandem at track meets, with Paul providing feedback on her work. 

He said Heskin has been a joy to mentor, especially due to her self-driven and coachable attitude.

“She’s very dedicated to (photography),” Paul said. “I can tell these things to people who are not as interested, and it goes in one ear and out the other. She has just been a pleasure to coach.”

Now a senior, Heskin continues photographing every meet. She has also begun experimenting with a new passion — video production.

But even after years of capturing her teammates’ moments, Heskin has had her own share of Kodak moments.

Injuries kept her sidelined for the outdoor season of her junior year. But, after months of hard work, she recovered and returned to the track just in time for the Quaker Invitational at the University of Pennsylvania on Jan. 18, 2025 — the race which she recalls as the most special of her career. 

Heskin was set to run the 1,000-meter, her signature and favorite event.

Just as she had captured in photos of others dozens of times, emotions swelled as she walked up to the starting line. She recalls the overwhelming gratitude she felt for being able to race again and overcoming her hardships. 

Once the pistol went off, Heskin was back. 

In her first race in 10 months, she ran a personal best of 2:55.80, shaving three seconds off her previous record. She dominated her heat, finishing four seconds ahead of second place.

After capturing so many moments, a photo finish didn’t feel necessary for her.

“I couldn’t help but smile as I crossed the finish line,” Heskin said. “It felt really great to be back racing for Lehigh.”