COLLEGE STATION, Texas – For the second time in her Sun Devil career, senior Maggie Ewen stood atop the podium at an NCAA Championship, this time for her dominating performance in the women's shot put, Friday in College Station, Texas.
"It feels great," Ewen said. "There's really no other way to put it. I really wish Raven [Saunders] could have been here, though. I wanted to make sure that if I won, it was well-deserved, but I think I still would have given her a pretty good run for her money today."
Ewen grabbed the lead immediately and never looked back after her first throw sailed 17.97m/58-7.5 feet. No other woman in the competition would go on to catch her, with the second-place finisher coming up four inches shy.
Although that throw had all but wrapped up the contest, Ewen continued to throw and recorded four throws over 18 meters, with her third of 18.49m/60-8 feet being her best of the series and her title-winning mark.
"That first one was a bit of a safety throw," Ewen said. "I just wanted to feel out the environment, feel out the ring, feel out just everything I needed to. I just built off of it from there. We never quite found that big one, but outdoors is just around the corner."
The win was Ewen's second NCAA title in as many years, as she won the 2017 hammer throw crown outdoors, and just another addition to the decorated Sun Devil's laundry list of accomplishments at ASU. Today's victory made her the first woman in NCAA history to take victories in two extremely specialized events in the shot put and hammer throw.
For ASU throws coach and USTFCCCA West Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year Brian Blutreich, today's title was his 15th as a coach.
The St. Francis, Minnesota, native now moves to ninth all-time in school history in scoring at indoor championships with her 19 points at NCAA meets.
Ewen will have a chance to improve her place on the all-time scoring list tomorrow when she throws in the women's weight throw final at 3:30 p.m. MST.
NCAA Indoor Championships | March 9, 2018 | College Station, Texas
Women's Results
Shot Put
1. Maggie Ewen – 18.49m/60-8
"It feels great," Ewen said. "There's really no other way to put it. I really wish Raven [Saunders] could have been here, though. I wanted to make sure that if I won, it was well-deserved, but I think I still would have given her a pretty good run for her money today."
Ewen grabbed the lead immediately and never looked back after her first throw sailed 17.97m/58-7.5 feet. No other woman in the competition would go on to catch her, with the second-place finisher coming up four inches shy.
Although that throw had all but wrapped up the contest, Ewen continued to throw and recorded four throws over 18 meters, with her third of 18.49m/60-8 feet being her best of the series and her title-winning mark.
"That first one was a bit of a safety throw," Ewen said. "I just wanted to feel out the environment, feel out the ring, feel out just everything I needed to. I just built off of it from there. We never quite found that big one, but outdoors is just around the corner."
The win was Ewen's second NCAA title in as many years, as she won the 2017 hammer throw crown outdoors, and just another addition to the decorated Sun Devil's laundry list of accomplishments at ASU. Today's victory made her the first woman in NCAA history to take victories in two extremely specialized events in the shot put and hammer throw.
For ASU throws coach and USTFCCCA West Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year Brian Blutreich, today's title was his 15th as a coach.
The St. Francis, Minnesota, native now moves to ninth all-time in school history in scoring at indoor championships with her 19 points at NCAA meets.
Ewen will have a chance to improve her place on the all-time scoring list tomorrow when she throws in the women's weight throw final at 3:30 p.m. MST.
NCAA Indoor Championships | March 9, 2018 | College Station, Texas
Women's Results
Shot Put
1. Maggie Ewen – 18.49m/60-8