The Pittman Award is one of Naples High School’s most prestigious awards for female athletes. While it is open to both juniors and seniors, the award has gone to mostly seniors during its 32-year history. However, at Senior Awards this year, it was junior Lane Calkins who received this academic and athletic honor. 

Calkins is the second junior in Naples High history to receive the Pittman Award. She is a three-sport athlete and has earned varsity letters for swimming, soccer and lacrosse. 

Although Calkins is currently involved in three sports, she does not plan to continue swimming and soccer in the future because she committed to Princeton University’s women’s lacrosse team last fall. 

“I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to have been offered a spot at Princeton,” Calkins said. “I want to use the rest of my time in high school to work towards becoming a better lacrosse player and preparing to play at a collegiate level.” 

Calkins started swimming in the second grade and soccer in eighth grade when the Gulfview women’s soccer team needed a goalie. She has been playing lacrosse the longest of all three sports as she started when she was just five years old. 

“My dad played in college, and it was always expected for me to start,” Calkins said. “I actually started out playing boy’s lacrosse.” 

A typical day in Calkins’ life can be busy, especially with training, practice and schoolwork. The most stressful time of the year for her is usually soccer season. 

“I would wake up before school at 5 and do speed training from 5:30 to 6:30 then go to school until 2,” Calkins said. “Soccer practice was from 2:30 to 4, and I would go to lacrosse practice from 5 to 7.”

Calkins agrees that balancing school and athletics has been a process, as well as a learning experience. There have been many times where she would get home from a game or school and be exhausted. 

“With anything, you need to learn how to have good time management skills,” Calkins said. “It is all about learning how to be able to distinguish when it is time to practice sports and when it is time to work on schoolwork.”

Calkins did not expect to be the second junior in NHS history to win the Pittman. In fact, this award came as a surprise to Calkins who was asked to attend the Senior Award ceremony as a junior but was not told what award she would be receiving. 

“I feel incredibly honored,” Calkins said. “It is so humbling to not only be able to receive this award but also carry on the legacy of so many amazing female athletes before me.”