TEMPE – Competition in the hammer throw at the Sun Angel Classic on Friday afternoon produced a school record of 208 feet by Alison Ondrusek (On-drew-seck) as she shattered the previous Texas A&M standard of 201-4 three times in her series of six throws.
Â
"Breaking the school record was incredible, I was so excited," noted Ondrusek. "As soon as it left my hands I knew it was going to be a good one. When I saw where it landed I was very happy. I was excited to not just barely break the school record, but to add almost two meters worth to it."
Â
Ondrusek placed third overall in the premiere field of the women's hammer and was the second best collegian. Arizona State's Maggie Ewen, the American collegiate record holder in the event, won with a toss of 227-3 (69.27) while post-collegian Lauren Stuart finished as runner-up with a 216-2 (65.89). They were the only competitors to produce marks over 200 feet.
Â
"I always enjoy competing against good competition and in this environment," stated Ondrusek. "Arizona always has good weather and nice throwing rings. It's always a good meet for us and I love coming here every year.
Â
"I just started to really trust my form and everything I've been working on in practice. I was starting really good and I just tried to finish strong. It really worked for me today, so I was able to capitalize on that and a couple of good practices this week to hit a good PR.
Â
In the men's premiere hammer, Austin Cook placed fifth with a throw of 208-6 (63.56). Opening with a pair of fouls, Cook hit 202-10 (61.83) in the third round and then improved to 208-6 in the fifth round. Gleb Dudarev of Kansas won the event with a 238-6 (72.69) effort while Arizona State's Kyle Long finished as runner-up with a 214-8 (65.43).
Â
Opening with a 194-2 (59.18), Ondrusek set a career best of 199-9 (60.89) in round two improving upon the 197-10 (60.29) she produced in San Antonio two weeks ago. Ondrusek then bettered the school record with a third round heave of 207-0 (63.10). Brea Garrett set the school record of 201-4 (61.38) in 2014 during the NCAA West preliminary rounds in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Â
Moving into the final three rounds, Ondrusek improved once again with a 208-0 (63.41) in the fourth stanza. After a foul in round five, Ondrusek closed out the competition with a 203-1 (61.91).
Â
"I wasn't as surprised with the 208," said Ondrusek. "I really felt like my practices brought it all together today. I was on fire, I was trying to use every throw and opportunity I had just to push it out there a little farther and see how far I could go today since my body felt good and I was ready."
Â
In all, Ondrusek produced four marks on the Texas A&M all-time top 10 performance list from this competition and currently has seven of the top 10 performances at 1-2-3-6-7-8-9. In addition to Garrett's previous school record, Meshell Trotter has two marks among the top 10 performances with her former school record of 200-0 (60.96) in 2000 and a 196-2 (59.80) from that same season.
Â
"I always think of myself as being very consistent," said Ondrusek. "So, once I hit it once I was able to hit it again. That's what I'm most excited about. It wasn't a one-time thing, it felt consistent and I felt comfortable throwing 63 meters multiple times. In future meets I'll be able to replicate it and even go farther."
Â
Heading into this weekend, Ondrusek currently ranks 10th among collegians in 2017 and is fourth in the SEC. Following the achievement of a school record, her focus remains on the postseason meets and contributing points to the team at conference and national meets.
Â
"Well, I definitely plan on being on the national team in Oregon," stated Ondrusek. "That's a big goal of mine and I want to score points in Oregon. Also in the SEC, I want to score points for my team, hopefully medal and be at the top. That's my goal for SEC and nationals."
Â
Â
"Breaking the school record was incredible, I was so excited," noted Ondrusek. "As soon as it left my hands I knew it was going to be a good one. When I saw where it landed I was very happy. I was excited to not just barely break the school record, but to add almost two meters worth to it."
Â
Ondrusek placed third overall in the premiere field of the women's hammer and was the second best collegian. Arizona State's Maggie Ewen, the American collegiate record holder in the event, won with a toss of 227-3 (69.27) while post-collegian Lauren Stuart finished as runner-up with a 216-2 (65.89). They were the only competitors to produce marks over 200 feet.
Â
"I always enjoy competing against good competition and in this environment," stated Ondrusek. "Arizona always has good weather and nice throwing rings. It's always a good meet for us and I love coming here every year.
Â
"I just started to really trust my form and everything I've been working on in practice. I was starting really good and I just tried to finish strong. It really worked for me today, so I was able to capitalize on that and a couple of good practices this week to hit a good PR.
Â
In the men's premiere hammer, Austin Cook placed fifth with a throw of 208-6 (63.56). Opening with a pair of fouls, Cook hit 202-10 (61.83) in the third round and then improved to 208-6 in the fifth round. Gleb Dudarev of Kansas won the event with a 238-6 (72.69) effort while Arizona State's Kyle Long finished as runner-up with a 214-8 (65.43).
Â
Opening with a 194-2 (59.18), Ondrusek set a career best of 199-9 (60.89) in round two improving upon the 197-10 (60.29) she produced in San Antonio two weeks ago. Ondrusek then bettered the school record with a third round heave of 207-0 (63.10). Brea Garrett set the school record of 201-4 (61.38) in 2014 during the NCAA West preliminary rounds in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Â
Moving into the final three rounds, Ondrusek improved once again with a 208-0 (63.41) in the fourth stanza. After a foul in round five, Ondrusek closed out the competition with a 203-1 (61.91).
Â
"I wasn't as surprised with the 208," said Ondrusek. "I really felt like my practices brought it all together today. I was on fire, I was trying to use every throw and opportunity I had just to push it out there a little farther and see how far I could go today since my body felt good and I was ready."
Â
In all, Ondrusek produced four marks on the Texas A&M all-time top 10 performance list from this competition and currently has seven of the top 10 performances at 1-2-3-6-7-8-9. In addition to Garrett's previous school record, Meshell Trotter has two marks among the top 10 performances with her former school record of 200-0 (60.96) in 2000 and a 196-2 (59.80) from that same season.
Â
"I always think of myself as being very consistent," said Ondrusek. "So, once I hit it once I was able to hit it again. That's what I'm most excited about. It wasn't a one-time thing, it felt consistent and I felt comfortable throwing 63 meters multiple times. In future meets I'll be able to replicate it and even go farther."
Â
Heading into this weekend, Ondrusek currently ranks 10th among collegians in 2017 and is fourth in the SEC. Following the achievement of a school record, her focus remains on the postseason meets and contributing points to the team at conference and national meets.
Â
"Well, I definitely plan on being on the national team in Oregon," stated Ondrusek. "That's a big goal of mine and I want to score points in Oregon. Also in the SEC, I want to score points for my team, hopefully medal and be at the top. That's my goal for SEC and nationals."
Â