By Allan Johnstone
Mackenzie Little of Stanford won the women’s javelin event at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships on Thursday with a distance of 198 feet, a personal record.
“I did a good job staying calm and not letting the pressure get to my head,” said Little.
Her other five throws were all consistently around 186 feet.
Little, a junior, placed fourth last year with a distance of 181 feet, 6 inches. She attributed her improvement this year to her training with her coach, Zeb Sion, as well as the constant support and drive from her fellow thrower teammates.
“He’s the most fantastic coach I’ve ever had — he individualizes training for each of us and knows us so well,” said Little. “He kept telling us we were all in the right spot and doing the right things.”
All that training paid off. Little, who competed in the second of two flights, came out with a bang on her first throw.
Immediately following her release, the fans fell silent because they could already tell that throw was going to be something special, and when the spear landed just over the 196-foot line, even before the official distance was announced, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.
That throw would be the one that won her the competition.
“It was an amazing feeling,” said Little.
No one else came within 10 feet of Little’s first throw.
Her Stanford teammate Jenna Gray, who competed in the first flight, finished second with a throw of 187-11 inches, a personal record.
“It was amazing coming in knowing that my teammate just had a huge PR,” said Little. “It was so inspiring.”
Four other competitors also threw personal records. Laura Paredes of Florida State placed third at 181 feet. Kelechi Nwanaga of University of Maryland Baltimore County came in fourth place at 180-6. Other personal records included Oregon State’s Destiny Dawson, who finished ninth with a throw of 171-1, and Georgia’s Marie-Therese Obst, who finished 15th with a throw of 153-5.
Little, who is from Australia, is going on a vacation to Spain soon with her family, whom she hasn’t been able to see in a while. But she is already looking forward to her senior year track season.
“I’m just so excited to come back next year,” said Little. “We still have so much to do.”
