Edit after proof read: I comment a couple of times throughout how some of the events only have a couple seniors in the top X or Y, but after looking at all the throwing events, I realized that out of all the Ivy League throwers, there are only like 6 *INDIVIDUALS* in the top ten over all 8 events. It is AWESOME! The next couple years are going to rock!
Well, first thing I want to comment on is how impressed I am with how Men's Shot is turning out. I honestly thought it would be the Mozia-Glauser show for the next couple years, but I am seeing some more young guys starting to creep up the lists. Pretty decent competition if 11th going in to Heps is 52 feet. Still predicting Mozia with the win, Glauser 2, and a toss-up between Belden and Brode for 3 & 4. After that, it really depends on if Park can perform as well as he has in the past and lock in 5th (or challenge a poor performing Belden or Brode for 4th), or if Smith from Brown can snag a podium spot along with another underclass sleeper like in Indoors with Liokumovich. A great set of young men will look to make this a very exciting next couple of years.
Women's Shot is about how I expected, predicting Imbesi with the win despite her struggles in Jav, and Watt for 2nd. I would give her a better chance at snagging first, but she is EXTREMELY inconsistent this year, having thrown over 14 meters outdoors only once this season. Dartmouth picks up some much needed points as well, but not many. Just like we saw at indoors, I am expecting MANY ladies between 41 and 44 feet all vying for a place on the podium. Lookout for this field to EXPLODE next year, as there is only 1 Senior in the top 12, and I know of at least one excellent recruit coming in to the Ivy League (Penn) who will challenge Imbesi and Watt for leadership of the league right away.
Men's Disc is about where we left off, except Levine is nipping at Mozia's heels by 0.02 meters and a few others have moved forward a couple more feet each. Mozia looks to be struggling lately with the disc, so we will see how things go for Cornell here. It is a VERY close field going in to Heps, with the top 7 all within 8 feet of each other. Levine is still my favorite going in to Heps as he PR'd to 178 at last year's outdoor Heps, but again, don't count anyone else out quite yet. Another VERY young and VERY exciting field. Look for 160 to move into finals, and 175 at least to win. Next year, 165 and 180, maybe more with how much talent is still developing, and the addition of Sam Mattis to Penn next year.
Women's Disc looks about the same (going Watt over Chukwunonso due to consistency and experience), except Dishong from Cornell moved up a couple spots, and I just now noticed a Freshmen from Columbia, Joanna Koronios, who is currently 8th. Koronios threw 150 feet in High School, which would get her top 4 if she can produce at Heps, so watch out for her to snag some points for Columbia. The same goes for Deford of Cornell. Both of those Freshmen girls have some major raw talent that just needs some refining. Deford practically throws her shot and disc as far standing as she does from a full throw. Interested to see how she develops next year, as she is already noticeably thinner from when I saw her at indoor Heps. One thing about this field of ladies is many of them are not throwing consistently, so predicting anything past 2nd is not going to be accurate at all... many of them have thrown 140 feet this year, but all their other throws are 10-20 below that. This is a hard one to get a bead on... in all honesty, I would not be surprised to see upper 140's win, with Craker of Brown, currently third, wearing Gold.
Men's Hammer has seen some great improvements this last weekend. Both Levine from Yale and Glauser from Harvard broke 190, making a solid three way fight for 2-4 with Fiedler from Cornell who did not compete last weekend. After a disappointing indoor Heps, look for Dickerson of Columbia to come back and PR at 180 for 4th, and Servino from Dartmouth to challenge him right around 180 and snag 5th. Another event group with a ton of youth. Only 1 Senior event listed on the TFFRS list... Only lock is McCullough. Again, I cannot stress how much fun it is to watch him throw... come watch him before its too late!!! He missed last year due to eligibility (grades) issues, and we don't want to miss the opportunity to see him develop even further!
Women's Hammer saw Craker of Brown move her lead out another 5 feet, showing her push to hit 200 before she graduates next year. Still going with Ekechukwu of Harvard for second, however she can be very inconsistent so Rossi from Cornell could beat her if she PR's. She is shooting for 180 this weekend from my conversations with people at Penn Relays, so look for her to push others hard. Freshmen Vermillion from Brown has been fairly consistent right around 168, so I would expect her for 4th or 5th, and from there, a large cluster of ladies vying for the last couple spots around low 160's/upper 150's. Another young field, with 2 Seniors in the top 17, and a little bird told me of at least two incoming freshmen for the Ivy League that each have thrown 200+. FUN!
****JAVELIN CAVEAT****
Javelin is a tough sport to predict as the throws can be VERY inconsistent, and the training throughout the season puts them in great jeopardy of constant injury. Someone can throw excellent one week, and crappy two weeks later due to a high training load. Most *good* Jav throwers will only compete 2-3 times before Heps, as you want to have at least two weeks off between competitions to rest your body. And even then, they may only throw at full speed at one or two meets, with the others being 75% effort throws. A little known fact is the optimal angle in the knee at the release of the Javelin is around 186 degrees, which for all us sooper smrt Ivee grads ;), means the knee is hyper-extended, leading to major knee issues. Most of us have knees that stop at 180... The arm goes into positions that would possibly tear or strain the ligaments of a normal person. In ages past, Finnish throwers, who are to Javelin Throwing as Ethiopians or Kenyans are to Distance running, would throw and throw and throw until they would actually snap a certain ligament in their arm, and then have surgery to improve their flexibility and stability of their throwing arm... talk about dedication. So long story short, Jav is a freaking toss-up....
Men's Jav is hard to not give right to Freshman Sullivan from Harvard, however since his nice opening throw of 219, he has not thrown over 205 and has been stagnant around 200. Again, I am surprised at Keeling from Brown, as he is a solid 25 feet below what he threw last year and has only thrown twice so far this year... concerns of injuries creep to mind. I would not be surprised, at all, to see Brett Gilson, who is actually a MULTI, win this event outright if Sullivan has a bad day. A huge drop in distances in Men's Jav this year, one I am hoping our wonderful coaching staff can fix in the next couple years. Hmmmm... prediction is withheld, but I would not be surprised if this event is won with low 200 feet, disappointing low after such great throwers these past 10 years.
Women's Jav is about where it was last week, with my hopes of huge numbers dashed to the runway like so much used tape and wrap. I did not ever speak with anyone from Harvard about their Javelin thrower and Heps champ from last year, Hannah Mayer, but I still have not seen her open, so I am guessing she is out this season. That puts Wheeler from Penn and Al-Hassan from Brown in great winning/scoring position as 1 and 2 currently. I would not be surprised to see Imbesi from Cornell or Reid from Cornell surpass them however, as Imbesi is well under her PR from last year (151 I think), as well as Reid, who is a Freshmen but very raw. I watched her throw at Penn Relays, and if she can connect the dots, she could easily win. Like before, Cornell picks up lots of points, but not as many due to Imbesi not performing as well as in the past. Look for High 140's to win, maybe 150's if Imbesi connects, and at least 135 to place.