FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
BRADENTON, Fla. – Fort Hays State women’s javelin throwers Estefania Lopez and Madison Wolf turned in repeat All-America performances by finishing fourth and sixth respectively at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in Florida. They were the only Tigers to compete at the national meet.
Both Lopez and Wolf got to enjoy the lead momentarily at the championships, both on their first attempts. Lopez was the fourth thrower in the second flight and she outdistanced the top mark from the first flight to take the lead at 166 feet, 11 inches. Wolf stepped up as the sixth thrower in the second flight and took the lead with a throw of 168 feet, 9 inches. But Wolf and Lopez only enjoyed the 1-2 position in the standings momentarily as Allison Updike of Azusa Pacific secured her second-straight national championship on her first throw.
Updike uncorked a massive throw of 183 feet, 10 inches to break her own national meet record by two feet, set last year at 181 feet, 10 inches. But it wasn’t just one throw that was the difference this year as Updike went on to throw over 180 feet two more times on later attempts showing by far she was the top javelin thrower in the nation for the second straight year. Updike held the national lead in the event for the majority of the season but had yet to throw over 180 feet this season until the NCAA Championships.
Wolf and Lopez watched the Western Washington duo of Katie Reichert and Bethany Drake also pass them on the first attempt, Reichert at 175 feet, 7 inches and Drake at 169 feet, 7 inches. That left Wolf and Lopez in fourth and fifth after the first attempts of the throwers in the second flight. Drake went on to finish second, throwing 177 feet, 9 inches on her second attempt and Reichert finished third, upping her mark to 177 feet, 3 inches on her final throw. Updike, Drake, and Reichert were the only three athletes to throw over 170 feet on the day but passed that mark easily.
Knowing that she was going to leave it all on the line on her first attempt, Wolf fought through the pain of an elbow injury suffered at the MIAA Championships to post her mark of 168 feet, 9 inches. The gritty effort was enough to earn the Bennington junior All-America honors for the third consecutive year, good for sixth after all competition completed. She passed on her second and third attempts but maintained her fourth-place position heading into the final three throws by the top nine competitors. Wolf gave one last effort on her first attempt in the finals, but it was not enough to top her first effort and she opted to shut it down, comfortably in All-America position. Lopez and Channing Wilson of Stanislaus State would eventually top the mark to push her to sixth. Wolf has now finished sixth twice at the NCAA Championships (freshman and junior) and fourth once (sophomore).
Lopez struggled a bit after her first attempt, sliding to seventh place by the end of the first three throws. A throw about five feet shorter and a foul on her third attempt left her looking for a big effort in her final three throws. She fouled again on her fourth throw, but her biggest effort came on her fifth attempt overall, throwing 169 feet, 10 inches to jump Wolf in the standings. Lopez held her ground in fourth place with that throw after taking second nationally the year before.
Both Wolf and Lopez have claimed All-America honors in all their years of eligibility with the Tigers. Wolf is now 3-for-3 and Lopez is 2-for-2, and both return again next year. Bethany Drake of Western Washington will be the only other returner among the top six finishers this year.