{"id":3599,"date":"2023-04-12T20:04:10","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T01:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mcthrows.com\/?p=3599"},"modified":"2023-04-20T12:35:17","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T17:35:17","slug":"a-super-day-for-cal-throwers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mcthrows.com\/?p=3599","title":{"rendered":"A Super Day for Cal Throwers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m old enough to remember a time when really smart kids spent their weekends building robots or arguing about which is the coolest prime number. These days, they seem focused on establishing total dominance over the world of NCAA throwing. Last week, I detailed the exploits of Harvard’s huckers at the Florida Relays<\/a>. Now, we turn our attentions to the brawny brainiacs of Cal Berkeley who dominated the recent Brutus Hamilton Invite held at their home stadium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men\u2019s Hammer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kegan Schroeter takes the win at the 2023 Brutus Hamilton Invite. Photo credit: Catharyn Hayne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cal throws coach Mo Saatara described the Brutus Hamilton as \u201ckind of a test meet,\u201d and hammer thrower Kegan Schroeter<\/a> set the curve early with a 67.86m toss for the win. Schroeter, a transfer from Brown whom Coach Saatara describes as a \u201cbig talent and a great guy,\u201d came close to his 69.33m PB in spite of the fact that the hammer guys were still in \u201cheavy training\u201d in the weeks leading up to the meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cal\u2019s other 69-meter hammer dude, Ivar Moisander<\/a>, sat this one out due to a bout with the flu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Max McKhann<\/a> of Stanford, took second behind Schroeter with a toss of 65.39m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women\u2019s Hammer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camryn Rogers<\/a>, who won three NCAA titles for Cal, began her pro career at the Brutus with a world-leading throw of 77.30m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2022 World Championships silver medalist Camryn Rogers in her professional debut. Photo credit: Catharyn Hayne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After an incredibly successful 2022 season\u2013NCAA title, NCAA record, World Championships silver\u2013Camryn and Mo sat down to figure out what they could do to make 2023 even better. \u201cWe decided,\u201d Mo says, \u201cthat she needed to make her technique more stable so she could easily replicate it. She also needed to start performing better in early rounds to take some of the pressure off during qualification at the major championships like Worlds.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camryn\u2019s series\u201377.00m, 76.04m, 77.30m, Pass, Pass, Pass\u2013suggests that they are already making progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three passes look odd on the stat sheet, but Mo explained that they were part of the plan going in. \u201cWe wanted to treat this like a qualification round, where you know you only have three throws to hit the standard or at least put yourself in the top twelve. Qualification rounds have caused her a lot of stress in the past, so If we can make her more confident in her ability to produce big throws early, it will be easier for her to feel comfortable going into a final.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as Mo sees it, Camryn will need all the comfort she can muster at the Worlds this summer in Belgrade, which he predicts will be \u201camazingly competitive,\u201d in part because  Anita Wlodarczyk<\/a> (3x Olympic, 4x European, and 4x World champ) and DeAnna Price<\/a> (2019 World champ, second to Anita on the all time list<\/a>) should be healthy after suffering derailment-by-injury last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The field will also include 2022 World Championship gold medalist  Brooke Andersen<\/a>, who will receive a bye into the 2023 Worlds, and likely Janee’ Kassanavoid<\/a>, the 2022 bronze medalist, provided she makes it through what promises to be an extremely competitive USA Trials in July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a lineup like that, Mo says he would not be surprised to see \u201cmultiple\u201d throws over 80 meters in Belgrade.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cal\u2019s Anna Purchase<\/a> took second on Saturday with a huge 73.02m PB that might set her up to join Rogers in Belgrade. Purchase represents Great Britain internationally, and is already close to the 73.60m automatic qualifying mark for Worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Anna Purchase takes the NCAA lead. Photo credit: Catharyn Hayne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mo attributes Anna\u2019s breakthrough to the hard work they\u2019ve put in strengthening and standardizing her throwing form the past two years. \u201cIt\u2019s critical to be stable in your technique,\u201d he explained. \u201cThen you can go into a big competition and just throw as you normally do and not try to make a superhuman effort.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purchase\u2019s series\u201366.57m, 73.02m, 68.15m, 68.80m, Pass, Pass\u2013showed that she still has work to do regarding her consistency, but a PB of nearly two-and-a-half meters is an encouraging sign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mo intended to limit Anna to three throws as he did with Rogers, but promised her she could take a fourth attempt if she \u201cdid great\u201d early on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI actually thought her fourth throw was her best technically,\u201d he says. \u201cBut she was completely gassed from jumping around and celebrating the 73.02m.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And who could blame her? That toss put her atop the NCAA leaderboard for 2023 and moved her to fifth place all-time in her event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men\u2019s Shot<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jake Porter winning the shot. Photo credit: Catharyn Hayne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cal\u2019s Jake Porter<\/a> rolled his ankle earlier this spring, but relied on what Mo describes as his \u201cblue collar\u201d work ethic to get back into fighting trim. His best of 17.64m got him first at the Brutus over the \u201ctwo Niks,\u201d or possibly the \u201ctwo Nicks.\u201d That would be Nik Iwankiw<\/a>, and Nick Godbehere<\/a>, two talented redshirt freshmen for whom Mo has high hopes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His best putter, Jeff Duensing<\/a> (19.39m PB) did not compete due to a case of food poisoning he picked up the previous weekend after finishing seventh at the Texas Relays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men\u2019s Discus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However lousy Duensing felt after dining at the Austin Airport, the top men\u2019s discus throwers in the world had to feel worse upon hearing that Mykolas Alekna<\/a> opened his season with 68.39m\u2013 the second best throw in NCAA history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2022 European Champion and World Championships silver medalist Mykolas Alekna picking up right where he left off. Photo credit: Catharyn Hayne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Alekna, the World silver medalist and European Champion, started with a foul and told Mo that throwing in the ring where he practices every day made him forget for a minute that he was supposed to save these throws. His series also included a 67.89m effort and two more fouls, one of which landed beyond 70 meters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the deal with this kid? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mykolas is, according to Mo, very engaged in the process. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize how much of his technique is his technique<\/em>,\u201d he explained. \u201cMykolas is the driver there. He understands what he is trying to do and why. People think that because the dad (two-time World and Olympic champ Virgilijus Alekna<\/a>) threw far, of course the son throws far, but if you want to be as good as Mykolas has been, you have to be committed, and he is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the two sat down to decide how they might build on last season, one thing they decided to focus on was improving Mykolas\u2019s finish\u2013specifically, the double support phase of his delivery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mo acknowledges that one of Mykolas\u2019s strengths is the way he \u201ccatches the disc very early,\u201d but believes they can find \u201cmore meters\u201d if Mykolas can accelerate the disc better through the finish rather than just \u201cslapping at it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of physical qualities, Mo describes Mykolas as \u201cextremely flexible\u201d with a power output that is \u201ccrazy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would compare him to Koji Murofushi<\/a>. He is just very explosive, very good at throwing things. Because of his dad, people think Mykolas must be 6\u20199\u201d or something, but he is more like 6\u20195\u201d. He has long levers, but all the top discus throwers have long levers. What makes Mykolas special is that he feels and understands the movement very well, and can move things explosively.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Mykolas asked Mo to recommend someone he might benefit from watching on video, Mo suggested Ryan Crouser<\/a>, \u201cbecause he is always under control, always balanced, always disciplined, never jumping out the front to throw far.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With another World Championships coming up in August, one challenge for Mo, Mykolas, and Mykolas\u2019s Lithuanian coach Mantas Jusis<\/a>, is to keep him healthy through both the collegiate and international seasons.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mo says that with an athlete as explosive as Mykolas, a coach has to be careful not to get \u201ctoo crazy\u201d during training. \u201cYou can\u2019t go to the well too much,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s better to be more conservative with volume and load so the athlete can keep training and getting better instead of missing time with an injury. Discus throwing is a highly skilled task, and the more time you can spend on it the better you\u2019ll be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iffy Joyner <\/a>(62.17m PB) can attest to the truth of that statement. Since last season, Iffy has been struggling with arthritis in the middle finger of his throwing hand, which hurts, according to Mo, \u201cin just the wrong spot.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iffy finished seventh at the Texas Relays with a toss of 58.48m, and took second at the Brutus with 58.69m. The finger has forced him to give up shot putting, but Mo is optimistic that it won\u2019t be too much of a detriment in the disc. They have a doctor\u2019s note which allows Iffy to pad and tape the knuckle during competitions, and things are going well enough that Mo has encouraged Iffy to continue competing when his eligibility expires this spring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women\u2019s Discus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is exactly what Elena Bruckner<\/a>, currently a volunteer assistant at Cal, did when she graduated from Texas two years ago. Elena was not ready to give up throwing, so she moved back to her native California and began training at Cal. This weekend, she surpassed the coveted sixty-meter barrier, tossing 60.26m to take the win.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mo actually recruited Elena out of high school, and describes her talent level as \u201cinsane.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is also, in Mo\u2019s words, a \u201cgenuinely nice\u201d person whose superpower is her rare combination of elasticity and explosiveness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mine is knowing when to end a post. More to come after the busy weekend ahead!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m old enough to remember a time when really smart kids spent their weekends building robots or arguing about which is the coolest prime number. These days, they seem focused on establishing total dominance over the world of NCAA throwing. Last week, I detailed the exploits of Harvard’s huckers at the Florida Relays. Now, we … Continue reading A Super Day for Cal Throwers<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,4,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","category-meets","category-ncaa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8knIb-W3","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcthrows.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcthrows.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcthrows.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcthrows.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcthrows.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mcthrows.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3599\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcthrows.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcthrows.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcthrows.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}