TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

This year, you missed some time due to knee surgery, then won your first two meets of the season. How great was it to come back from the injury like that?
It was good. I still had a lot of pain when I came back but it was good for my confidence to come back and win a few meets and win a few meets. I got that confidence back to know that I could actually throw.

You fell just one centimeter shy of the NCAA Regional Qualifying mark in shot put at the Hillsdale Gina Relays. How much has that motivated you in the past two weeks to get past that mark?
When I almost hit that mark, it said, yes, I am ready and that it was going to be there any time soon. It was just a matter of hitting positions and getting after it. It was a little bit of a let down falling one centimeter short, but it kind of lit a fire under me to actually get after it.

Last year, you got to participate in the NCAA Eastern Regionals, placing 17th at the tournament. How much of an adjustment was it for you to adjust to throwing at the Division I level?
It showed me that the Division I level is very competitive. It’s so much more competitive than throwing at the JuCo level. There are so many good athletes on the East coast because you have to compete with so many different schools.

Throwers have a lot of time in between throws. What do you do to stay focused during a meet?
Usually, I talk to my coach and he tells me what I need to focus on and that’s all I think about between my throws. Basically, I just need to stay focused and get fired up for each throw.

Your practice is obviously a lot different than the track athletes. What do the throwers focus on throughout a practice to make sure you are ready to compete on the weekends?
It’s basically the same thing as during a meet. Of course, we throw a lot heavier implements, but every time we throw, the coach tells us to focus on it and we try to hit positions as correctly as possible. Towards the end of practice, we go to a lighter shot put because it’s easier to hit positions and easier to fire the shot put. Basically, that’s what our practices focus on is just hitting positions and staying focused.

Faith Thompson was named the UB Female Athlete of the Year for 2005 after she finished her career by finishing 15th in the hammer throw at the NCAA Championships. How happy were you for her to get this recognition from the school?
It was great to see a thrower to get recognition for that. It’s just great to see Faith do that because she was such a stellar athlete at UB and it really puts UB on the mark, but UB’s throwing program on the mark, also.

You threw shot put at Erie Community College for two years before transferring to UB. How important do you think your two years at a JuCo were in your development?
To be honest, I think it kind of hurt me more because, not having a coach all through high school and not having a coach on the JuCo level and then coming here and having Coach Garnham, who I knew in high school, he’s just such a great coach. He is probably one of the best coaches in the nation in developing shot putters and discus throwers. He has numerous state champions and he knows his stuff. He’s the reason I’m at the level I’m at now.

After your two years at ECC, what made the track and field program at UB a good fit for you?
It would have to be Coach Garnham. I knew him so he was the main reason, along with his son, they were the main reasons I wanted to come here. I knew them and along with the rest of the coaching staff, especially the head coaches, would make me a better athlete and make me feel that I belong here at the Division I level.

You were an All-Western New York selection as a fullback and linebacker at Springville High School. What are some things you learned in football that have transferred over to the throwing events?
Basically, the intensity level. Trying to get ready for a football game is the same thing as trying to get ready for a track event. You’re not really going out to hit somebody in the shot put, but you still think about crazy things just to get yourself fired up and ready to hit that shot put as hard as you can.

What has been your favorite moment as a UB athlete?
Competing at the Division I level. Every day, I wake up and I just say, “Wow, I’m a Division I athlete.” If it was here, or any other big college, you’re still a Division I athlete which means you’re the cream of the crop. It’s just nice to be here.

“The 10 Questions With…” feature is compiled by Joe Guistina.