Mikoud Qualifies For NCAA Championships

Thursday, May 26

Bloomington, IN

Army West Point

NCAA East Regionals

Mikoud Qualifies For NCAA Championships

May 26, 2022 | Women's Track and Field

Photo Gallery

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Emily Mikoud set the program and service academy record in the hammer throw en route to qualifying for the 2022 NCAA Championships on Thursday.

Meet Summary
Emily Mikoud (hammer), Brooke Stratman (javelin), Anna Tovkach (800m), Emily Fink (shot put, hammer), Abigail Green (hammer) competed.

The top 12 in the final of each event qualifies for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.

Hammer Throw

Emily Mikoud set the records on her first attempt which landed 66.64 meters. It was three meters further than her previous personal record. Her final throw (64.63) would have also been a personal record. Mikoud finished in sixth place to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon; she will compete on Thursday, June 9. Mikoud is the first Black Knight to qualify since 1998 (Heather Lawson).
Emily Fink finished in 22^nd with a 59.98m toss.
Abigail Green placed 26^th (58.89m).

800m

Anna Tovkach narrowly missed out on qualifying for the final round. Running in the fifth heat, Tovkach had the fastest split (1:00:31) while leading at the halfway point. However, she finished fourth with a time of 2:06.07 to miss out on the top three in the heat which advanced automatically to the final. Overall, she was 26^th which was two spots and .06 seconds behind the final qualifying spot.

Shot Put

Emily Fink capped her freshman campaign in the shot put, finishing 41^st (14.80m).

Javelin Throw

Brooke Stratman placed 27^th after her second throw (45.97m)

COACH'S CORNER
"It was without a doubt the best hammer day in the history of our program. We qualified three women into this meet and they are the three best to ever wear the army singlet. Abigail Green competed in flight 2 and although her result was not what she wanted we will remember her for the great career that she had. At one time or another Abigail has been the Army school record holder and the service academy record holder in the hammer and the weight. She was the tip of the spear with the resurgence of our throws program. Emily Fink did not advance today and did not have an improvement over what she threw earlier this month but what a year she had. Nine months ago, she picked up a hammer for the first time and in a short period of time she developed into one of the top performers in the East region. If we really want to put some perspective on how good this young woman is we have to take it to account how she compares to her age group. In track and field there is a senior category and an under-20 category. Emily finishes her NCAA hammer season as the United States under 20 number 1 hammer thrower and the number 2 under 20 hammer thrower in the world. Quite an accomplishment for her and without a doubt the best plebe performer ever at army. She will get to compete in shot put later today with another opportunity to qualify to the NCAA final.

To say that Emily Mikoud had the best performance of the day is an understatement. I have often described her as the most dominant female thrower in the history of our program and the history of the service academies. I suppose those statements could be difficult to quantify. But what Emily did today only confirms what I have been saying about her. Rain dominated the morning competition in the hammer and the first two flights had to battle those conditions. Then the skies cleared a little and for flight three the ring was a bit better. On Emily's first throw she had the best throw of her life. 66.64 meters (218' 8"). It was close to 3 meters better than she has ever thrown. It is a new school record and a new service academy record. Her second attempt was a foul and her third attempt was a 64m throw which was also over her previous personal best. Coach Ryan Hershberger told me yesterday that he thought Emily was ready to put a big mark out there today. I have heard that confidence before from coaches and usually I just park it in the back of my mind but what Ryan has done with our throwers has been remarkable and I was encouraged by his confidence. He was right. Her 6th place finish today advances her to the NCAA final in Eugene and while 12 women will advance in each of the 17 individual events from this meet it might seem on the surface to be a rather ordinary accomplishment. In reality it is anything but ordinary. The best young track and field athletes in the world come to the NCAA to compete. In an event like the hammer which is only contested at the high school level in a couple of states here in the US, we are often way behind the world. In the team sports NCAA advancement often happens with a win over the team in front of you. In track and field you have to win a head to head competition against 48 other athletes. NCAA track and field qualifiers are some of the best athletes in the world. Emily Mikoud has risen to a new level of good. To put Emily's advancement in perspective, Army has not had an NCAA track and field qualifier since Heather Lawson in 1998. In a remarkable coincidence, Heather also qualified in the hammer. In fact, there have only been four women to ever represent the Black Knights at the NCAA outdoor track and field meet. What we saw today from Emily Mikoud is an extraordinary accomplishment and the best performance ever for a service academy athlete in the women's hammer." – Mike Smith

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