True wins Hammer Throw to highlight final day of National Championships

GENEVA, Ohio— The Wartburg women’s outdoor track and field team took 10^th place with 21 points at the National Championships.

Saturday’s events

Hammer Throw            Emma True                     1^st          59.21m or 194-3

400 hurdles finals       JoJo Tyynismaa            3^rd          59.96

Quotes from Emma True:

When asked about her growth throughout her collegiate career as she placed 20^th sophomore year, sixth junior year, and now the National Champion in her senior year: “Freshman year I only qualified for outdoor conference. Sophomore year I quailed for indoor and outdoor and was and All-American in the weight throw. Outdoor season was a little crazy, but I was able to qualify for outdoor and went to nationals. Junior year, I went in ranked number one, but I wasn’t as mature of a thrower and I kind of overthought it. This year, I was more confident in my throwing and my ability. I’m friends with a  lot of the girls in the competition, so this year it was more of a celebration at this meet, more than competing head to head.”

On staying focused and having to wait until the third day of the meet to compete: “I only had two practices this week on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday morning, Coach Roberson and I decided my practices were looking good to keep me fresh.”

On her second throw, which was the eventual winning mark: “I had one good warmup, and a couple of ok warmups. I scratched on my first throw but I knew I needed at least one in, I knew I need to trust my ability.”

On ending her career with a National Championship: “It’s amazing; I’m still in disbelief. This is my fifth career All-American honor and knew I had a chance to be a National Champion.”

How has being a thrower on the track and field team contributed to your overall Wartburg experience: “It’s been one of the main experiences that I’ve enjoyed most at Wartburg. “A lot of my teammates have become my family, they’ve really added to the community aspect that I’ve experienced here. This program has helped me grow into the person that I’ll be after graduation.”

Emma also completed her student teaching while being a student-athlete: “I worked with Coach Roberson on planning when I was going to be at practice and lifting as teaching went from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. most days.”

Quotes from Coach Roberson, assistant coach and throws coach

On Emma’s career progression: “Emma came in as a 33-foot high school shot putter, and never made State or won a conference title. She picked up the hammer very well. It’s very rewarding to see her growth and ability to handle situations. She had the best practices of her life this week and she executed spectacularly.”

On her second throw, which was the winning mark: “She knew she needed to trust herself. She was sitting in a good place (after the prelims) and would be able to react if someone passed her. Her first throw went into the cage, but she trusted herself and made the adjustments.”

On coaching a National Champion: “Emma deserve all the credit. She’s handled everything very well. I’m so happy she got to enjoy her moment on the podium. She has raised the bar for the future of Wartburg throwers.”

Notes:

• This is the first National Championship in the hammer throw in women’s or men’s program history
• This is True’s second career First-team All-America honors
• This is the fourth All-American honor for the women’s program in this event
• This was the 55th National Championship in track and field history (indoor and outdoor combined)
• This was the 36th National Championship for outdoor track and field
• Tyynismaa remains second in the program’s top 10 list in this event
• This is her second All-American honor in this event
• This is the 12^th All-American honor for the program in this event