As she reflects upon her journey with the latest chapter now complete, Abby Gerber is thankful that a four-year plan became a five-year excursion. Once the baby giraffe that struggled to walk, as she put it, Gerber ascended near the top of the podium in the final act of her Concordia University, Nebraska Track & Field career. It was a career that brought out the best in her as a competitor, artist and growing young adult.
Not far from her hometown of Columbus, Gerber found what she was looking for from a college destination. The combination of the throws program and the art department helped sway her decision.
“I liked how small the campus was,” Gerber said. “Everyone seemed really nice. (Coach) Ed (McLaughlin) really pushed the idea that this could be a good place for me. He seemed like a good fit for a coach, and I liked the art department and Professor (Don) Robson. Everyone was really nice and welcoming. The other school I went to, the entire time I went there, the only thing they could do was bash other schools. It’s really kind of off-putting when the only thing they can say is bad things about other schools. Concordia just felt right.”
With five years complete, the tangible accomplishments for Gerber have included four career All-America awards, nine appearances at national championship meets, two individual GPAC titles and 13 total GPAC All-Conference awards. As a student, Gerber capitalized on the additional year and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts while further preparing herself for a career in teaching. Along the journey, Gerber was characterized by her competitiveness, big smile and outgoing personality.
That smile grew wider on the final day of her college career. On her second attempt in the finals of the shot put at the 2025 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, Gerber unleased a toss of more than 15 meters (49’ 7 ¾”), prompting high fives and hugs from her throws coach. The personal best came on the heels of frustration caused by a month-long struggle. Those who watched the national competition had no idea what was taking place behind the scenes.
As Gerber explained, “It’s bittersweet in a way. Obviously, I’m super proud of myself and really happy with where I ended up, especially considering the month before nationals. I totally forgot how to throw shot put. At the same time, I’m greedy and the goal I had coming into college was I really wanted to try and break that record (in the shot put). Knowing I was as close as I was and not quite there yet is kind of the sad part. At the same time, I’m super proud of where I came from and how I was able to zone in and focus at nationals and perform the way I did.”
In putting behind the mental anxiety that had been hampering her, Gerber showed her mettle as a competitor. Back-to-back throws of 15-plus meters locked up an NAIA national runner up claim. As the competition unfolded in Marion, Ind., NAIA Championship Sport Manager and Bulldog alum Samantha (Liermann) Walker paid close attention. Afterwards, Gerber laughed in saying that she made Walker nervous. However, her shot put record of 50’ 8 ¼” still stands.
“I always have bigger goals than I probably should,” Gerber said. “I like to bite off more than I can chew. My goal was always to try to break the school (shot put) record at some point. I got close, but I wasn’t quite there.”
For the record, Gerber finished her career ranked No. 3 on the program’s all-time indoor and outdoor shot put lists. That’s quite a feat considering the history of conference and national champions coached by McLaughlin. These were the heights – rather, distances – that McLaughlin believed Gerber capable of coming out of Columbus High School, where Gerber worked closely with Coach Jeni Bozarth. It was actually Bozarth’s father that first introduced Gerber to throwing.
“In elementary school during track & field days, he made a point to have shot put as one of the events that kids did,” Gerber said. “I have always been a competitive kid and I would beat most of the boys in everything. I wanted to beat everyone. It kind of stuck with me. I signed up for it in sixth grade and I had a great time. Then in seventh and eight grade, I had to do it. I was having fun with it. It wasn’t until high school that it became a possibility for me (to compete in college). It wasn’t a thought in my head.”
Gerber and McLaughlin first met at a throws camp. Gerber’s potential was obvious from the start. Her strength was evident in her ability as a powerlifter. Gerber won a Nebraska state powerlifting title and also played softball in high school. As Gerber progressed in her high school career, McLaughlin saw her as someone who could walk in the door and qualify for nationals.
As a high school junior, Gerber used the glide technique to place second at the state meet. (Her senior year was wiped out by COVID-19, robbing her of a potential state championship). As Gerber began her time at Concordia, the question became when/if Gerber would switch to a rotational technique, involving a spinning motion around the circle. That type of technique can generate greater power and distance but also takes time to master.
Recalls McLaughlin, “After her third national meet (sophomore year), on the way home, I remember looking at her and saying, I want to take a chance. It didn’t go well. She didn’t have a good meet, so I wanted to just see that outdoor season what would happen if we went to rotate. We could go with it and not qualify for nationals, but we want to shoot for her higher end. We were happy to throw 44 feet, but I knew she had more in her. She was willing to do it. We tried not to mess with her finish too much. We tweaked her left arm and right-hand and foot placement. We tried everything. It would go good and then it would fall apart. It led to probably the worst season of her life.”
Daughter of Mike and Wendy Gerber, Abby admitted that it felt like a “rollercoaster.” Sometimes she would take two steps forward, and then three steps back before eventually overcoming her failures. Her first All-America award came at the 2023 indoor national meet. It was McLaughlin’s goal that Gerber would become so good that even when she had a bad meet, she was still pretty good. That was the case at 2025 indoor nationals when she placed eighth in the shot put, enough for an All-America award, the third of her career at the time. Gerber also developed into a national qualifier in the weight and hammer throws.
Having shared the highs and lows and knowing what it takes to compete with the best in the country, Gerber and McLaughlin felt particularly satisfied on that late May day at Indiana Wesleyan University. Not everyone gets to go out in that fashion.
Says Gerber of what it’s been like to be coached by McLaughlin, “We joke as teammates about how he’s kind of changed over the years. He’s gotten nicer. It’s nice to know that working with a coach that long, they know all of your quirks and your bad habits. Eventually, you’ll see us talking to Ed without actually talking. He’ll make a motion across the field, and we’ll just be like, ‘Okay.’ It’s nice to get to know a coach and have that kind of trust for that many years. You get to know each other really well.”
Says McLaughlin, “Abby was never hard to work with. It was mostly trying to figure out what was the best way for her to throw. Anyone we work with, we try to see if they can switch to rotational. We knew we could get her to 44 feet. I was thinking, how do we get her to 50 feet? I didn’t know if she could throw that far gliding. A year into it, we knew we were doing well, but we weren’t doing special. I always thought she was going to be special. I thought she was someone who could win conference titles, be a multiple-time All-American and compete for a national title. I thought that when I first met her.”
‘Special’ is a good way to describe the experience enjoyed by Gerber over the past five years. Originally, she expected her college career to last the typical four years. As a junior, Gerber decided she would give it one extra year in order to obtain her BFA, a prestigious degree awarded by Concordia. Due to COVID-19, Gerber’s freshman indoor season did not count against her eligibility. She later took an outdoor redshirt in order to be able to compete both indoor and outdoor as a fifth-year student in 2025.
The awards and accolades are nice, but Gerber has knows what she’s going to miss most about life at Concordia. She can already feel it. As Gerber enters her first year of teaching at Scott Middle School in Lincoln, she explains, “Definitely the team (is what I’ll miss most). Throwing’s a big part, but knowing that I have the memories that I have with my teammates and knowing we were working together to reach our own goals is a special thing. Now that I’m out of college and I’m trying to work out and do stuff on my own, it’s not the same.”
In turn, McLaughlin and Concordia will miss Gerber. McLaughlin will always be proud of how she persevered on her final day as a college athlete. “That was amazing. What she did that day was great,” McLaughlin said.