Craig Morgan, thesundevils.com Writer
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Maggie Ewen is trying to hone her technique in the hammer throw, discus and shot put ahead of this weekend's Pac-12 Championships, the NCAA West Regionals and the NCAA Outdoor Championships, but it's a mental hurdle that has proven her greatest challenge.
Ewen came to ASU in the fall of 2013 as a four-time state champion in the discus, and a three-time state champion in the shot put at St. Francis High School in St. Francis, Minnesota. Despite those credentials, Sun Devils famed throwing coach, David Dumble, made a dramatic change in Ewen's technique.
"So many times, he tells me to slow down; bring it down like three notches as far as speed is concerned," Ewen said. "In your mind you’re thinking, 'I have this 9-pound shot on my neck. I'm not going to try to slow down and throw it far. That seems so counterintuitive.'
"He tells you get into this weird position and I'm like, 'OK, I'm doing it but I don't know about this, coach.' Then you do it, slow it all down and it pops out three feet farther than you have thrown it before and now you're just confused but you're not going to argue because it works."
The proof is in the rankings. Ewen currently has the fourth best throw in the NCAA West Region in the hammer (215 feet, 5 inches), fifth best in the discus (193-7), and the 12th best throw in the shot put (54-10). Nationally, she ranks fifth, seventh and 21st respectively in those events.
The Sun Devils are in action this weekend at the Pac-12 Championships in Seattle. The NCAA West Regionals are May 26-28 in Lawrence, Kansas; the NCAA Championships are June 8-11 in Eugene, Oregon; and the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials are July 1-10 in Eugene.
"When you’re training you think 'I have a month or two left' so you have to focus on the here and now, but these next four meets are all big meets. You can't take it easy in any of them," she said. "I'm trying not to focus on getting this place or that place because it gives you a little extra pressure that you probably don’t need. I will just trust my training and hopefully that will produce results."
Ewen took up the sport in elementary school to mimic her older sister, Alicia, who came home from school with a flier and told her parents she wanted to try track. Ewen's dad, Bruce, was an All-American thrower and seven-time Missouri Valley Conference champion at Illinois State, so Maggie had a natural coach.
"I was always the bigger one," said Ewen (5-10). "My sister is like a miniaturized me -- like 5-6 or so -- so I took to throwing and she went to the running events. I got to train with my dad all of high school.
"My parents were never pushy with sports. We were camping, hiking, fishing kind of people, so it was always good, family time. I would always ask if we could go out and throw and my dad would be like, 'Yeah. Let's do it!" He was always so happy to be there and it's still a lot of fun going home in the summer and practicing with him."
Dumble said that experience gave Ewen a good base with which to work.
"She came in with a lot of good movements and a great attitude," he said. "She is very quiet; very shy, but so agreeable -- almost to a fault where sometimes she wouldn't ask questions, but she's opening up a lot more as she gets older and more confident."
Dumble has worked painstakingly to hone Ewen's balance and alignment.
"It comes down to hand-eye coordination and body awareness," he said. "As a young athlete you try to stress that they understand what their limbs are doing while they're in the middle of a discus throw.
"She's obviously gotten stronger and technically improved but her mindset and her ability to be confident in herself and know she can compete at the NCAA level has really taken a big leap with the success she's had."
Ewen stressed that she is not focusing on specific achievements at the upcoming meets, and as a redshirt sophomore she has plenty of time to improve and add to those achievements, but when she defines satisfaction at those meets, she has specific ideas in mind.
"When I leave conference I'd love to win the hammer, finish top-3 in discus and if I can finish top-5 in the shot put I guess that would be satisfactory but I am always striving to be first," she said. "At nationals, I would love to be an All-American in the events I end up competing in.
"I put the time in -- a lot of time -- so I don't want to put in those hours just to be average. I want to be the best I can be in all three and I'm starting to hit where I want to be."