[3] At the age of fifteen she competed in the pentathlon at the 1969 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, placing fifth overall.

[4] At the 1970 national championships, 16-year-old Laing won the 440-yard dash in an American record time of 52.9 seconds, defeating former champion Jarvis Scott.

[7] Laing also competed in international matches for the United States, winning events against West Germany and the Soviet Union.

[3] Following her graduation from high school in 1971, she received an offer of an athletic scholarship from Tennessee A & I, where Wilma Rudolph and Wyomia Tyus had been trained.

Preferring to remain in the local area and with her track club, she opted instead for Arizona State University.