In a way, Mackenzie Little thought she was in a good position as she prepared for her first throw. And she was: the Stanford junior’s first-round 198-0 (60.36) was not only a PR but also moved her to No. 5 on the all-time collegiate list. “Coach [Zeb] Sion had simplified our strategy to just three cues. And that’s what I needed to focus on,” she said. “That helped me remain calm.”
The 3-time Pac-12 winner followed with a consistent series in which 184-2 (56.13) was the worst throw. She was excited because soph teammate Jenna Gray torpedoed a 187-11 (57.29) on her second try for an 11-foot (2.76m) PR improvement to move into 2nd and make the Cardinal the first school ever to go 1–2 in the event.
“Today was one of those days where I was on,” said Gray, who is just a part-time javelineer. She is part of Stanford’s top-flight volleyball team, which finished 3rd in the NCAA tournament this season after winning it last year: “I have been working just 2 days a week with the track team, but these last 2 weeks I’ve been with them every day. I finally got to do some work on my approach and the runway.”
Like Little and Gray, Florida State frosh Laura Paredes had a PR, a first-round heave of 181-0 (55.17) that gave her 3rd.
An inch made a big difference in settling positions 4 and 5. UMBC’s Kelechi Nwanaga and North Dakota State’s Alyssa Olin each had a best of 180-6 (55.02) on the day, but Nwanaga’s backup 179-10 (54.82) was narrowly better than Olin’s 179-9 (54.80). Only one place-change—for 6 & 7—occurred in the final 3 rounds: Florida senior Avione Allgood, the runner-up way back in ’14, threw 176-11 (53.93) to edge past Memphis junior Ashley Pryke (176-8/53.85).
NCAA WOMEN’S JAVELIN RESULTS
(June 07)
1. *Mackenzie Little’ (Stan) 198-0 (60.36) PR (5, =10 C; 4, 7 NCAA)
(198-0, 184-3, 187-9, 191-5, 186-10, 184-2) (60.36, 56.17, 57.22, 58.34, 56.96, 56.13);
2. **Jenna Gray (Stan) 187-11 (57.29) PR
(169-4, 187-11, 182-2, 177-3, f, 177-1) (51.63, 57.29, 55.53, 54.03, f, 53.99);
3. ***Laura Paredes’ (FlSt) 181-0 (55.17) PR
(181-0, 172-7, f, 180-9, 175-2, 164-0) (55.17, 52.60, f, 55.09, 53.40, 49.99);
4. ***Kelechi Nwanaga’ (UMBC) 180-6 (55.02)
(179-10, 180-6, f, f, f, 131-7) (54.82, 55.02, f, f, f, 40.11);
5. Alyssa Olin (NDSt) 180-6
(174-11, 172-8, 179-9, 168-9, 180-6, f) (53.32, 52.63, 54.80, 51.44, 55.02, f);
6. Avione Allgood (Fl) 176-11 (53.93)
(174-6, 171-4, 169-5, f, 176-11, 175-6) (53.19, 52.23, 51.65, f, 53.93, 53.49);
7. *Ashley Pryke’ (Memp) 176-8 (53.85)
(176-8, 172-3, f, f, f, 171-6) (53.85, 52.51, f, f, f, 52.27);
8. Kristen Clark (TxAM) 173-4 (52.83) PR
(173-4, 164-2, 156-7, 168-9, 169-11, 166-8) (52.83, 50.05, 47.74, 51.45, 51.80, 50.81);
9. *Destiny Dawson (OrSt) 171-1 (52.14)
(167-8, 156-3, 170-3, 171-1, 165-6, 166-8) (51.11, 47.64, 51.90, 52.14, 50.45, 50.81);
10. *Kylee Carter (Aub) 168-0 (51.20);
11. ***Ashton Riner (BYU) 164-10 (50.25);
12. *Vanja Spaić’ (Fres) 164-8 (50.19);
13. ***Maura Fiamoncini (Buck) 163-8 (49.90);
14. Nicolle Murphy (Mn) 163-8 (49.89);
15. *Peyton Montgomery (Aub) 159-3 (48.54);
15. ***Marie-Therese Obst’ (Ga) 159-3 (48.54);
17. *Brittni Wolczyk’ (Nb) 158-9 (48.38);
18. Haley Crouser (Tx) 155-1 (47.26);
19. ***Callie Jones (SnMs) 154-2 (47.01);
20. **Tairyn Montgomery (Ga) 153-5 (46.76);
21. *Morgan Woods (McN) 149-6 (45.57);
22. *Stephanie Sievers (PennSt) 144-4 (43.99);
23. ***Keira McCarrell’ (Or) 141-3 (43.07);
… 3f—*Madalaine Stulce (TxAM).
(best-ever mark-for-NCAA-place: 7) □
