During the past three years, the NC State track & field team has been bolstered by strong throwing on the women’s squad.

Since 2013, four women throwers have earned all-American status for the Wolfpack; two of those honors have gone to senior thrower Tremanisha Taylor.

Taylor has been a consistently dominant competitor in shot put and discus during her tenure with the team, breaking the program records in both events multiple times.

During her first three seasons at State, the Henderson, North Carolina native has garnered two all-American and six all-ACC honors, winning conference titles in indoor shot put in 2013 and outdoor shot put in 2014.

After a less-than-satisfactory finish to the 2014 season, Taylor was determined to make her final year with the Pack one of her best.

However, Taylor’s senior season was nearly derailed when she discovered she would have to have back surgery in December, just weeks from the start of the indoor season.

“I was having chronic back pain, so I went to the doctor, and he gave me some medicine,” Taylor said. “It wasn’t working, so before Christmas break, I decided to get an MRI. That’s when I found out I had ruptured a disc in my back.”

The displaced disc was pressing against a nerve in Taylor’s back, causing her to lose mobility in her leg — mobility she still hasn’t completely regained.

Despite having graduated in December, Taylor remained determined to compete in as much of the 2015 season as possible. She said that though her rehab got “old real fast,” it was the support of her teammates that kept her going.

“[My coaches and teammates] were very supportive, always checking in and encouraging me,” Taylor said. “SeQuoia [Watkins] calls me ‘ACC Champion of the World’, so she kept saying I had to come back.”

Head coach Rollie Geiger said he was amazed with Taylor’s conviction throughout the rehab process.

“When you’re a senior, it’s very comfortable to say, ‘Do I really want to go through the process for just one season?’” Geiger said. “She saw this as an opportunity to throw again.”

Taylor’s injury was a huge blow to the State team, which had relied heavily on the senior and her fellow throwers for points at the NCAA Championships in the past.

“She would have been points in March,” Geiger said. “She probably would have put us in the top 15.”

In this year’s indoor season, State dearly missed Taylor’s contributions, finishing 32nd on the women’s side with just six points.

Taylor was able to return to the team in discus in early April at the VertKlasse Meeting in High Point, where she earned a second-place finish and qualified for ACC Championships.

Taylor made her shot put debut at the 2015 Duke Twilight Invitational, where she earned first place with a throw of 49’ 6.5” and earned a spot in the ACC Championships.

Taylor said she had not planned to participate in shot put this season, but when she started working on the event again, she knew she was ready for competition.

“When I started the outdoor season, discus was going well,” Taylor said. “I kind of plateaued, so we picked up shot put just to work on technique with my feet, and it just felt so natural.”

At the ACC Championships, Taylor made up for lost time, taking home the bronze in shot put and recording a 13th-place finish in discus. Her throw of 54’2.75” in the shot put was good enough for 10th in the region.

“One last time on the podium in my final season is a good way to go out,” Taylor said.

Heading into her fourth-consecutive NCAA Regional, the senior has regained her confidence and said she likes her chances to earn a berth to the National Championships.

“I have high goals for myself,” Taylor said. “I have won so many accolades at this point, I’m just happy to be able to compete for more.”

Geiger said he was giving Taylor an early nomination for the Wolfie Awards as Comeback Athlete of the Year.

“I was watching her throw, and I could only think to myself, ‘She had surgery?’” Geiger said. “Not only getting back to a certain level, but getting back to a national level — it’s a truly amazing story.”

In order to qualify for Nationals, Taylor must finish in the top-12 of her field, a feat she has accomplished three times before.

Joining Taylor in Jacksonville, Florida for Regionals will be 15 other Wolfpack athletes, including fellow throwers Watkins and Nicole Chavis. The competition will take place May 28-30.