Army West Point Athletics
Fink Wins Hammer Throw At USATF U20, Qualifies For World Junior Championships
June 23, 2022 | Women's Track and Field
EUGENE, Ore. – Emily Fink captured the hammer throw at the 2022 USATF U20 Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field.
Her 59.94m toss on her third attempt moved her into first place where she will represent Team USA at the World Junior Championships in Cali Colombia from August 2-7.
Fink's outstanding freshman season has seen her break school, facility, academy, and conference records. She was named Patriot League Outdoor Women's Rookie of the Meet and named to the First-Team All-Patriot League.
Coach's Corner
"A year ago at this time Emily Fink was getting ready for Beast Barracks. She had just completed an outstanding career as a multi-sport athlete at Three Lakes High School in Wisconsin and was ready for a new challenge at the United States Military Academy. Emily Fink gets excited about challenges. In the fall, she embraced the challenge of learning a new event; the collegiate hammer throw. She got so good at the event that by the end of the spring she was ranked #1 in the USA for under 20 and #3 in the world. So, when she approached Coach Hershberger this May about competing at the USA track and field Under 20 championships in the hammer throw, we obviously wanted to make it happen. But we knew we had some challenges to work through with cadet summer training. Emily was scheduled for cadet field training from May 29 – June 29 which is essentially a month-long infantry tactics and field exercise detail out in the forested areas around West Point. It is tough, challenging work. Sleep deprivation, long arduous ruck marches and lots of physically demanding work is the order of the day…day after day. During her time in the woods, she had very little in the way of proper preparation for the USA championship hammer throw. It was only in the last few days that we were able to reconnect with her and get her sometime in the ring. Given the circumstances, her win today is remarkable and a testament to just how gritty and determined Emily Fink is.
She was commenting to Coach Hershberger the other day about her lack of preparation and the more she spoke about it the more it became obvious to him that she was emboldened by her situation and even more determined to be successful. Her determination paid off. On her third attempt, she sent the hammer flying 59.94m (196' 8") and won the USA U20 title. It wasn't the best throw of her young career. In fact, it was an average throw for her. Her "average" is better than everyone else's "best". Make no mistake there is nothing average about Emily Fink. She is an academic star at the academy, she is an emerging, confident leader in the corps of cadets, and she is one of the best young hammer throwers in the world. We have had a lot of individual success this year and Emily's win today adds to the list of accomplishments of our women's team. There is nothing easy about winning at the highest levels of our sport and it is even more challenging when you have to overcome less than ideal preparation. But that was never an excuse for Emily. She has the "it" factor that drives elite competitors forward. What she did today is an extraordinary accomplishment and a great example of the will to win. We are proud of her and look forward to seeing what she can do on Team USA at the World Junior Championships, August 2-7 in Cali, Colombia." – Mike Smith
For complete coverage of Army West Point cross country and track and field, follow the Black Knights on Twitter (ArmyWP_TrackXC) and Instagram (goarmytrack) and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.
Her 59.94m toss on her third attempt moved her into first place where she will represent Team USA at the World Junior Championships in Cali Colombia from August 2-7.
Fink's outstanding freshman season has seen her break school, facility, academy, and conference records. She was named Patriot League Outdoor Women's Rookie of the Meet and named to the First-Team All-Patriot League.
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— Army Track & XC (@ArmyWP_TrackXC) June 23, 2022
Emily Fink captured the women's hammer throw (59.94) at the @usatf U20 Outdoor Championships.
She will represent Team USA at the World Junior Championships from Aug. 2-7 in Colombia#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/O4SJ6Bk7nI
Coach's Corner
"A year ago at this time Emily Fink was getting ready for Beast Barracks. She had just completed an outstanding career as a multi-sport athlete at Three Lakes High School in Wisconsin and was ready for a new challenge at the United States Military Academy. Emily Fink gets excited about challenges. In the fall, she embraced the challenge of learning a new event; the collegiate hammer throw. She got so good at the event that by the end of the spring she was ranked #1 in the USA for under 20 and #3 in the world. So, when she approached Coach Hershberger this May about competing at the USA track and field Under 20 championships in the hammer throw, we obviously wanted to make it happen. But we knew we had some challenges to work through with cadet summer training. Emily was scheduled for cadet field training from May 29 – June 29 which is essentially a month-long infantry tactics and field exercise detail out in the forested areas around West Point. It is tough, challenging work. Sleep deprivation, long arduous ruck marches and lots of physically demanding work is the order of the day…day after day. During her time in the woods, she had very little in the way of proper preparation for the USA championship hammer throw. It was only in the last few days that we were able to reconnect with her and get her sometime in the ring. Given the circumstances, her win today is remarkable and a testament to just how gritty and determined Emily Fink is.
She was commenting to Coach Hershberger the other day about her lack of preparation and the more she spoke about it the more it became obvious to him that she was emboldened by her situation and even more determined to be successful. Her determination paid off. On her third attempt, she sent the hammer flying 59.94m (196' 8") and won the USA U20 title. It wasn't the best throw of her young career. In fact, it was an average throw for her. Her "average" is better than everyone else's "best". Make no mistake there is nothing average about Emily Fink. She is an academic star at the academy, she is an emerging, confident leader in the corps of cadets, and she is one of the best young hammer throwers in the world. We have had a lot of individual success this year and Emily's win today adds to the list of accomplishments of our women's team. There is nothing easy about winning at the highest levels of our sport and it is even more challenging when you have to overcome less than ideal preparation. But that was never an excuse for Emily. She has the "it" factor that drives elite competitors forward. What she did today is an extraordinary accomplishment and a great example of the will to win. We are proud of her and look forward to seeing what she can do on Team USA at the World Junior Championships, August 2-7 in Cali, Colombia." – Mike Smith
For complete coverage of Army West Point cross country and track and field, follow the Black Knights on Twitter (ArmyWP_TrackXC) and Instagram (goarmytrack) and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Track and Field
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