Men’s Hammer

What a long, strange trip it has been for Connor McCullough.

 

Will this be the year when he finally brings home an NCAA title? Or will Michael Lihrman of Wisconsin (PB 75.29m)…

 

…or Chukwuebuka Enekwechi of Purdue ( PB 72.77m)…

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…crush his dreams in Eugene?

 

And how about the defending NCAA champion, Kent State’s Matthias Tayala…

…who went 71.20m at the Mid-American Championships on May 14?

And the champion will be…

Trof is all for McCullough, and if you think a website named “Mcthrows” is going against an Irish guy…you have another think coming.

Wild Card: Tayala. I know, I know. Lihrman is a giant who threw the weight 800 feet indoors this year, and Chuck could easily beat up several motorcycle gangs, but…Tayala won it on his final throw last year and that…matters.

 

Women’s Hammer

Here is your defending champion, Julia Ratcliffe of Princeton by way of New Zealand.

 

Her best is 68.53m this year.

 

This year’s collegiate best belongs to Brooke Pleger of Bowling Green…

 

…who  hit 69.72m at the Mid-American Championships on May 14.

 

Southern Illinois senior Deanna Price nailed a 67.72m on May 2.

 

 

And the champion will be…

Ratcliffe has two advantages: she is from New Zealand and was smart enough to get into Princeton. That’s enough for Trof, who picked her to repeat. I, however, am not one to go against the John Smith factor. He has been coaching since the 1870’s and if there is any trick in the book…well…he wrote the book. So, we are going with Price.

Wild Card: Kearsten Peoples of Missouri. According to Trof, she has won about 8 million medals at NCAA meets in the past 4 years, so she is not likely to be intimidated.