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Insider: Newman nabs NCAA notice
6/8/2018 9:33:00 AM | Track and Field, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
Sophomore takes 9th in javelin, has 'more in the tank'
Jesse Newman just had hurled his 8 ½-foot stick across Oregon's historic Hayward Field when he thought, "That's a big one," and saw the metal spear touch down closer to the 70-meter line than on any throw of his life.
Newman looked to the stadium bleachers for his supporters in ecstatic astonishment and jogged along the javelin runway with his hands on his Grand Canyon hat and a massive smile on his face.
It was the throw that made Newman a second team All-American on Wednesday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. The culmination of his rapid, two-year improvement at GCU was good for a ninth-place NCAA finish, the highest individual national finish of any Lopes athlete for 2017-18.
"Even having the word All-American and just hearing it is such a big deal," said Newman, who earned the distinction in front of friends and family in his home state. "I actually made one of the teams, which just means that next year I get to be first team All-American. It's only right."
Newman was one spot away from being first team All-America but still was ecstatic about recording a personal best and trailing only eight others in the nation, including four seniors. His throw of 69.81 meters (229 feet) was only five inches shy of eighth place.
Newman marveled at the entire NCAA Championship experience even before he splashed onto the national scene. He shared a room with GCU senior pole vaulter Scott Marshall (20th place, All-America honorable mention) and made a river trip with GCU senior long jumper Marcus Flannigan (21st place, All-America honorable mention).
He visited Hayward Field when it was empty on Tuesday, setting up a startling change Wednesday when his group was escorted to the stadium field before thousands of fans.
"You're breathing a little heavier," Newman said. "There has not been that amount of people that have watched me throw. Ever. It was awesome. It didn't go to my head. I just looked around. I'm like, 'Man, people want to watch me throw a stick? What?' "
Newman was among the top 24 qualifiers in the nation. Watching the others' throws energized him. He was a surprise qualifier to many and was ranked 16th entering the competition but he had personal goals to throw 70 meters at the same site where he won a high school state championship and gained GCU coaches' attention.
Newman and Lopes assistant coach Joe Riccio talked about getting off a throw of 62 meters for starters Wednesday. Newman threw 63.80 meters and 64.12 meters on his first two throws. Before the third throw, he paused and looked to the sky to clear his mind.
"Everything else just disappeared," Newman said. "It was just me and the runway."
The throw proved that his previous best of 68.91 meters to win the WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship was no outlier.
Once the competition ended, Newman was one of the few competitors who got to drive home. During the two-hour drive to Aloha, Ore., he thought about how much he had achieved and how he is just four years into the sport and two years into collegiate training.
"I have so much more in the tank," Newman said. "I grew and developed a lot this year but I have so many countless things that Joe and I have talked about and that I can improve a lot. Not like little things to tweak. I can gain a lot of speed still. I can gain a lot of this and that. I have so much room to throw farther. I can't wait for next year, I can't wait for the journey."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Newman looked to the stadium bleachers for his supporters in ecstatic astonishment and jogged along the javelin runway with his hands on his Grand Canyon hat and a massive smile on his face.
It was the throw that made Newman a second team All-American on Wednesday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. The culmination of his rapid, two-year improvement at GCU was good for a ninth-place NCAA finish, the highest individual national finish of any Lopes athlete for 2017-18.
"Even having the word All-American and just hearing it is such a big deal," said Newman, who earned the distinction in front of friends and family in his home state. "I actually made one of the teams, which just means that next year I get to be first team All-American. It's only right."
Newman was one spot away from being first team All-America but still was ecstatic about recording a personal best and trailing only eight others in the nation, including four seniors. His throw of 69.81 meters (229 feet) was only five inches shy of eighth place.
Newman marveled at the entire NCAA Championship experience even before he splashed onto the national scene. He shared a room with GCU senior pole vaulter Scott Marshall (20th place, All-America honorable mention) and made a river trip with GCU senior long jumper Marcus Flannigan (21st place, All-America honorable mention).
He visited Hayward Field when it was empty on Tuesday, setting up a startling change Wednesday when his group was escorted to the stadium field before thousands of fans.
"You're breathing a little heavier," Newman said. "There has not been that amount of people that have watched me throw. Ever. It was awesome. It didn't go to my head. I just looked around. I'm like, 'Man, people want to watch me throw a stick? What?' "
Newman was among the top 24 qualifiers in the nation. Watching the others' throws energized him. He was a surprise qualifier to many and was ranked 16th entering the competition but he had personal goals to throw 70 meters at the same site where he won a high school state championship and gained GCU coaches' attention.
Newman and Lopes assistant coach Joe Riccio talked about getting off a throw of 62 meters for starters Wednesday. Newman threw 63.80 meters and 64.12 meters on his first two throws. Before the third throw, he paused and looked to the sky to clear his mind.
"Everything else just disappeared," Newman said. "It was just me and the runway."
The throw proved that his previous best of 68.91 meters to win the WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship was no outlier.
Once the competition ended, Newman was one of the few competitors who got to drive home. During the two-hour drive to Aloha, Ore., he thought about how much he had achieved and how he is just four years into the sport and two years into collegiate training.
"I have so much more in the tank," Newman said. "I grew and developed a lot this year but I have so many countless things that Joe and I have talked about and that I can improve a lot. Not like little things to tweak. I can gain a lot of speed still. I can gain a lot of this and that. I have so much room to throw farther. I can't wait for next year, I can't wait for the journey."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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