USATF Names NACAC U23 Team
I apologize for the lack of posts recently. I was out of town for several weeks and am now busy studying for the bar exam. I should have some more posts in August with news leading up to the Olympics.
In the meantime, the USATF announced their roster for the North American, Central American, and Caribbean Under 23 Track and Field Championships. The event will take place from July 18-20 in Toluca, Mexico. This year's team will consist of:
- Men: John Freeman (Georgia) and Matt Wauters (Idaho).
- Women: Sarah Stevens (Arizona State) and Loren Groves (Kansas State).
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Hammer News Round-Up
- Cory Martin on his victory:
“I thought after my first throw it was in the bag, but Jake came back
and kind of surprised me ... It’s fun when it’s you and your teammate.” [Opelika-Auburn News]
- Runner-up Jake Dunkleberger was profilied last week. [Opelika-Auburn News]
- The new hammer ring in Eugene isn't generating rave reviews as the Olympic Trials near. [Eugene Register-Guard]
- Canadian hammer thrower Jim Steacy has had a great year, breaking both the Canadian Record and the Olympic 'A' standard. [CBC News, The Calgary Sun]
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NCAA Championships: Martin sets PR to win
As expected, Cory Martin (Auburn) walked away with his first NCAA title on Friday. However, the win was not as easy as expected. Martin was consistent with six legal throws, all measuring at least 71.36m. He took the early lead, but his teammated and defending champion Jake Dunkleberger (Auburn) exploded in the fourth round to set a news personal best of 72.98m and take the lead from Martin. However, the day was not over for Martin, who threw a personal best of his own on his final attempt to pass Dunkleberger and win.
The competition was full of improvements. Boldi Kocsor (UCLA) set a personal best for third place. Egor Agafonov (Kansas) was near his season's best in third. Matej Muza (Virginia Tech) also set a personal best to place fifth. Overall, the competitive competition was much like last year, with lots of great throws and lead changes.
Men's Hammer Throw
Name Year School Finals
==========================================================================
1 Cory Martin SR Auburn 74.13m 243-02
2 Jake Dunkleberger SR Auburn 72.98m 239-05
3 Boldizsar Kocsor JR UCLA 69.92m 229-05
3 Egor Agafonov SR Kansas 69.92m 229-05
5 Matej Muza JR Virginia Tech 69.83m 229-01
6 Steffen Nerdal JR Memphis 68.21m 223-09
7 Colin Veldman SR Oregon 66.94m 219-07
8 Andy Fryman SR Kentucky 66.03m 216-08
9 Marcus Mattox SR Idaho 65.39m 214-06
10 Paul Peulich SR Manhattan 65.00m 213-03
11 Timothy Morse JR Radford 63.20m 207-04
-- Hans Eriksson SO Texas-El Paso FOUL
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NCAA Championships: Orban beats Riley
Despite struggling over the past month, Eva Orban (USC) returned to form on Friday to win her first NCAA title. She opened the competition with a throw of 68.27m and continued to lead throughout the competition. She threw her winning throw of 68.71m in the second round. However, the final rounds of the competition were very exciting. Sarah Stevens (Arizona State) moved from seventh to second place in the fifth round. Jessica Pressley (Arizona State) responded in the final round to move up to third place. That left Brittany Riley (Southern Illinois) in fourth before her final attempt. She was improved to 67.44m to finish in second place.
On a side note, I hate to gloat, but my predictions on the women's side were quite accurate. I picked the top three correctly. I also picked the right athletes to place fourth and fifth, although in the wrong order.
Women's Hammer Throw
Name Year School Finals
==========================================================================
1 Eva Orban JR Southern California 68.71m 225-05
2 Brittany Riley SR Southern Illinois 67.44m 221-03
3 Sarah Stevens JR Arizona State 66.37m 217-09
4 Jessica Pressley SR Arizona State 65.28m 214-02
5 Loren Groves JR Kansas State 64.12m 210-04
6 McKenzie Garberg SR Washington State 64.09m 210-03
7 Brittany Pryor JR Virginia Tech 63.42m 208-01
8 Stevi Large JR Akron 62.88m 206-03
9 Kristen Callan SR Virginia Tech 62.73m 205-10
10 Kate Burton SR Wyoming 60.66m 199-00
11 Laci Heller SR Kansas State 59.76m 196-01
12 Veronica Jatsek SR Ohio State 58.76m 192-09
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NCAA Championships: Prelims Results
In a day marred by rain and lightening delays, a few surprises came up in the qualifying round. In the men's competition, Cory Martin (Auburn) and Egor Agafonov (Kansas) were the only throwers able to get the automatic mark on their first attemp. Martin threw an impressive 71.89m to lead all qualifiers. Most of the favorites made it through to the finals. However, Simon Wardhaugh (Boise State) did not make the finals and Jon Hart (Liberty) had foul trouble and failed to qualify. Despite that fact that the top throwers did not produce top results, it was harder to make the finals than it has been in the past few years. Last year the final qualifying spot went to Simon Wardhaugh at 62.95m. This year Andy Fryman (Kentucky) grabbed the last spot at 64.15m.
The women's competition was led by Brittany Riley (Southern Illinois) and Eva Orban (USC). Both met the automatic qualifying mark on their first attempts. Like the men, most of the contenders in the women's competition also qualified for the finals. Among the notable nonqualifiers were Dorotea Habazin (Virginia Tech), Ozioma Okolie (Texas Tech), Jasmine Jennings (Rhode Island) and Tai Battle (Arizona State). The qualifying round was much more competitive than normal. Where 57.88m made the final day last year, it took 61.14m this year.
Men's Hammer Throw Name Year School Prelims
==========================================================================
1 Cory Martin SR Auburn 71.89mq 235-10
2 Jake Dunkleberger SR Auburn 68.17mq 223-08
3 Egor Agafonov SR Kansas 67.24mq 220-07
4 Boldizsar Kocsor JR UCLA 66.58mq 218-05
5 Marcus Mattox SR Idaho 66.20mq 217-02
6 Steffen Nerdal JR Memphis 66.07mq 216-09
7 Colin Veldman SR Oregon 65.03mq 213-04
8 Matej Muza JR Virginia Tech 64.77mq 212-06
9 Timothy Morse JR Radford 64.72mq 212-04
10 Paul Peulich SR Manhattan 64.43mq 211-05
11 Hans Eriksson SO Texas-El Paso 64.38mq 211-03
12 Andy Fryman SR Kentucky 64.15mq 210-05 Women's Hammer Throw
Name Year School Prelims
==========================================================================
1 Brittany Riley SR Southern Illinois 64.49mq 211-07
2 Eva Orban JR Southern California 64.30mq 210-11
3 Loren Groves JR Kansas State 62.96mq 206-07
4 Laci Heller SR Kansas State 62.62mq 205-05
5 McKenzie Garberg SR Washington State 62.21mq 204-01
6 Veronica Jatsek SR Ohio State 61.98mq 203-04
7 Brittany Pryor JR Virginia Tech 61.88mq 203-00
8 Kate Burton SR Wyoming 61.39mq 201-05
9 Jessica Pressley SR Arizona State 61.35mq 201-03
10 Kristen Callan SR Virginia Tech 61.20mq 200-09
11 Stevi Large JR Akron 61.15mq 200-07
12 Sarah Stevens JR Arizona State 61.14mq 200-07
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NCAA Championships: Startlists and T&FN Predictions
Tomorrow is the big day with the preliminary rounds of the men's and women's hammer taking place. The top twelve marks in the qualifying round will move on to Friday's final. Athlete's can also guarantee themselves a spot in the final if they throw 67.00m (men) or 63.50m (women). Here are the NCAA Championships Startlists: Men (4:00pm CST) / Women (1:30pm CST).
Also, Track and Field News has released their predictions for the NCAA Championships. I have posted them below.
Men:
- Cory Martin (Auburn)
- Jake Dunkleberger (Auburn)
- Egor Agafonov’ (Kansas)
- Matej Muza’ (Virginia Tech)
- Simon Wardhaugh’ (Boise)
- Boldi Kocsor (UCLA)
- Steffen Nerdal’ (Memphis)
- Jon Hart (Liberty)
- Chris Rohr (Missouri)
- Timothy Morse (Radford)
Women:
- Brittany Riley (Southern Illinois)
- Éva Orbán’ (USC)
- Sarah Stevens (Arizona State)
- Jessica Pressley (Arizona State)
- Dorotea Habazin’ (Virginia Tech)
- Kristen Callan (Virginia Tech)
- Loren Groves (Kansas State)
- Tai Battle (Arizona State)
- Ashley Harbin (Lafayette)
- Jasmine Jennings (Rhode Island)
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NCAA Men's Hammer Rankings Vol. 10: Championships Preview
Enetering last year's NCAA Championships, Jake Dunkleberger (Auburn) had not beaten Cory Martin (Auburn) all season. In fact, Cory Martin had only lost to another collegiate thrower once in the season. However, that didn't matter as Jake Dunkleberge came through in the final to win the NCAA title. That situation is eerily similar. Cory Martin has not lost the entire season and will be looking to continue that streak this week. His prospects for this season looks much better. Last summer, Martin entered the meet with several other throwers close behind him. This year, he has dominated others, with few coming within ten feet of him. Baring a repeat of last season, Martin should win his first NCAA outdoor title.
After Martin, the competition is close. Many throwers have been in the 67 to 70 meter range this season, with few being very consistent. This is where Jake Dunkleberger's experience will come in handy. Egor Agafonov (Kansas) also seems to be peaking at the right time and should improve on his fourth place finish from last season. Returning finalist Simon Wardhaugh (Boise State) is undefeated this season will also be in the mix.
- Cory Martin (Auburn) (-)
- Jake Dunkleberger (Auburn) (-)
- Egor Agafonov (Kansas) (+1)
- Simon Wardhaugh (Boise State) (-1)
- Matej Muza (Virginia Tech) (+2)
- Jon Hart (Liberty) (-)
- Boldi Kocsor (UCLA) (-)
- Jarrod Stevens (-)
- Steffen Nerdal (-)
- Chris Rohr (NR)
Dropped from rankings: Dimitrios Fylladitakis (UTEP) (10).
On the bubble (listed alphabetically): Dimitrios Fylladitakis (UTEP); Timothy Morse (Radford).
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NCAA Women's Hammer Rankings Vol. 10: Championships Preview
In just a few days, the NCAA Championships will be taking place on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. In what will he a hotly contest competition, there is no clear front runner in the women's competition (view the athletes competing here). Brittany Riley (Southern Illinois) enters the competition as the defending champion, but has come up short in her two biggest competitions. She failed to break 60 meters against an elite field at Mr. SAC in April. Last weekend she only threw 61 meters for second place at regionals. Eva Orban (USC) has also stumbled a little late in the season. Orban started the season off strong with every competition at or near 70 meters. However, she only took second place at Pac-10s before winning regionals at only 64.54m. I give the edge to Orban not only beacuse Orban has been more consistent this season, but also because Orban beat Riley in their only head-to-head competition this season.
Jessica Pressley (Arizona State) has the third best mark in the nation, but her teammate Sarah Stevens (Arizona State) has been more consistent. Both will be competing in multiple events at the NCAA Championships. That might affect their performance, but it hasn't over the past few weeks, such as when Stevens beat Orban for the Pac-10 title. Loren Groves (Kansas State) enters this competition on a six meet win streak. Her only loss this season was against her teammate Laci Heller (Kansas State) in her season opener.
But in reality, ten to fifteen of the throwers entered are capable of placing in the top three if they have a good day. Like most years, it will likely come down to which athletes are able to shake of the nerves and compete.
- Eva Orban (USC) (+1)
- Brittany Riley (Southern Illinois) (-1)
- Sarah Stevens (Arizona State) (-)
- Loren Groves (Kansas State) (-)
- Jessica Pressley (Arizona State) (+1)
- Stevi Large (Akron) (+3)
- Dorotea Habazin (Virginia Tech) (-2)
- Jasmine Jennings (Rhode Island) (NR)
- Tai Battle (Arizona State) (-2)
- Kristen Callan (Virginia Tech) (-)
Dropped from rankings: Veronica Jatsek (Ohio State) (8).
On the bubble (listed alphabetically): Ashley Harbin (Lafayette); Veronica Jatsek (Ohio State); Ozie Okolie (Texas Tech).
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Kevin McMahon Profiled by San Jose Mercury News
Columnist Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News wrote a nice column today on Stanford coach Kevin McMahon. A former Georgetown standout, McMahon competed at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. After four years in retirement, he's making a comeback and has a realistic shot of making this year's team.
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Six Rounds With Jasmine Jennings
Among the surprises at last weekend's NCAA Regional Championships was the winner of the East Region: Rhode Island's Jasmine Jennings. Jennings threw a personal best of 62.64m (205-06) to easily qualify for next week's NCAA championships. She burst onto the scene early in May when she broke 200 feet for the first time to win the Atlantic 10 Championship. Now she has set herself in a position to become an All-American. We had a chance to sit down with her are she got ready for the NCAA Championships.  Round 1 - Congrats on the win at regionals last week. What was your mind set entering the competition? Did you expect to win the competition?My mind set was clear, I felt calm and relaxed. I just focused on throwing my best and it went far. I went in there with a attitude that I was going to qualify for nationals and know that I needed to be in the top five. The morning of the competition I decided that I wanted to win the meet. No matter who was throwing that day, I was going to try to throw further. Round 2 - For those of us who have followed you, you've been throwing for a number of years and were a standout prep hammer thrower at Veterans Memorial High School in Rhode Island. However, you've stayed under the radar since then. Explain a bit about what led you to the University of Rhode Island?When I graduated from high school I only had two options, Johnson and Whales University or the Community College of Rhode Island. I went to CCRI. It was a NJCAA Division III school and I did track there for 2 years. Going to CCRI only made me a stronger person; I paid for school, trained and improved my academics. As a freshman I threw the weight 55 feet and the hammer 173 feet. I competed indoors for two years and outdoors for one year. During my second year, I was getting recruited from various schools (Miami, Clemson, FSU, Richmond, Long Beach, etc.). URI gave me the best package. When I started my junior year at URI, I competed in two meets during indoor and then lost my eligibility. I had a hard time with change and had a bad academic semester with caused me to lose both the indoor and outdoor season. The moment that I realized that I lost a year of track and almost lost my scholarship, I knew I had to do something. The next semester I got my grades up, practiced with the team and supported everyone around me. All I did was watch, wait, and plan to be better my senior year. Round 3 - Who is your current coach?
My coaches are Laura Feit-Melnick and John Melnick. I'm from Rhode Island and I must have worked with or received advice most of the coaches here over the years. I get help from all over, the Melnicks have helped me to learn more about track. Round 4 - It seems that you are peaking just at the right time. What has come together to help you get off some big throws recently? Do you have more in you for nationals
Well everything that I have learned in the past few years have come together nicely. I have realized that I am a sprint thrower and I depend on my speed. I have finally learned how to control it. I definitely have more for nationals. I plan to throw my best there. Round 5 - What are your plans for after college? Will you continue to train at all?
I'm a senior this year and just graduated, but I still have one remaining outdoor season of eligibility. I am checking out grad school for next year and plan on continuing to compete. When I do get out of school, I would like to continue to train for the 2012 Olympics. Round 6 - Have you been to any high school meets in Rhode Island lately? Are there any up and coming throwers that catch your eye?The three girls that catch my eye this year is Meghan McGovern, Victoria Flowers and Lee Stowers. Meaghan and Victoria have thrown further than what I threw in high school. They are doing very well and are throwing college distances of over 166 feet. Lee is tall and gentically built to throw the hammer. When she goes to college she will be a great athlete.
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Recent Entries
• USATF Names NACAC U23 Team
• Hammer News Round-Up
• NCAA Championships: Martin sets PR to win
• NCAA Championships: Orban beats Riley
• NCAA Championships: Prelims Results
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