For Golden Valley dual-sport athlete Shyann Franklin, senior year couldn’t have ended any better.
It concluded on such a high note that Franklin is still riding a wave of emotion and hasn’t had a chance to reflect on her last year of high school.
“To be honest, no I haven’t, because I haven’t even accepted the fact that I graduated and that I’m done with high school sports, it’s kind of weird,” she said. “I know I did it, but it’s like dang, did I really do that? It’s kind of weird, I’m waiting for that point to come where I can reflect.”
Franklin capped off a stellar track and field career by finishing in second place in shot put at the CIF State Track and Field Championships. Her mark of 48-3/4 set a new personal record and ranked as the second best throw in California this year.
She also placed second at the CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet and at the Nike Redondo Invitational out of 37 throwers.
In league competition, Franklin finished in first place in both shot put and discus in four out of five dual meets and also won the shot put event at the Trevor Habberstad Invitational.
She was a big part of the Golden Valley track and field program’s turnaround, consistently putting up points to help the Grizzlies finish in second place in league on the girls side.
“The Golden Valley family, they have my heart, they mean so much to me,” Franklin said. “It means so much to know that I can come back there anytime I need to, even talk to my counselors, my teachers from freshman year, it’s a blessing to know that people care for you and want the best for you.
“This is somewhere I can go back to if I need to, and that gives me a clarity that I never really had before. I really appreciate Golden Valley and everything they’ve done for me. I’ve given them all my blood, sweat and tears, and they’ve given me a lot in return.”
In addition to being a star on the track and field team, Franklin also was a leader on the girls basketball team, where she played three years at the varsity level.
She led the Grizzlies in scoring and on the glass, averaging a double-double with 14.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game while shooting 42% from the field. She added 1.6 steals and one assist per game.
“I love basketball, basketball is my sport. Track is something that comes natural to me, playing in a game just gives me a feeling I’ve never felt before,” Franklin said. “It makes me tune everything else out. Basketball is my outlet, it’s my release, it helps me release anything that I go through. To this day I still play basketball, I go hoop with the guys and it’s just fun.”
For her efforts on the hardwood and in the throwing ring, Franklin earned the Signal Sports Award for Female Athlete of the Year.
Franklin is set to continue her track and field career at the University of California, Berkeley and has already received summer workout plans from her coaches.
While she admits the first week of workouts was tough, she pushed through the pain and continues to prepare herself for a rigorous career at Cal.
Besides getting ready for her journey to Northern California, Franklin is making the most of her time at home.
“Working, working out, and I’m just trying to spend a lot of time with my friends and my family before I go because I know once I go there it’s going to be grind, grind, grind,” she said. “No breaks until senior year, and after that I’ll probably have a little fun, but as of right now, get that time in with my friends and family then go up there and handle my business.”
Although she already has a full schedule with academics and track and field, she isn’t opposed to trying out for the basketball team.
If she ends up forgoing a stint with the basketball team, she’ll get her hoops fix by playing intramurals.
“I heard intramurals are honestly better than the actual basketball team, so I’m down with that,” she said. “Walking on to the team, I don’t know because this track workout is already a lot, your body can only take so much, but I’m definitely willing to try. I’m not the kind of person who takes no for an answer, so we’ll see what the future holds.”
