On the date of June 3rd, 2023, the Hammerman USA field was once again bustling with countless athletes and spectators, excited for the first meet of the season – and quite a meet it was! Greatness smiled upon the athletes today as we were presented with beautiful clear skies, mild winds, and a warm high of 91 degrees. This weather not only allowed for countless PRs, but also for 5 meet records to be set!
Let’s look at some of the feats accomplished by these athletes.
Men’s Hammer Throw
The Men’s Hammer Throw was full of tough competition. Javaris Ambrose, a recently graduated senior of Thornton High School and incoming freshman of University of Illinois Urban-Champaign, walked away from Hammerman Field not only with a first-place ribbon in the hammer, but also leaving his mark with a new high school field record.
The Hammerman USA Staff knew we were in for a treat when the #4 Nationally Ranked Men’s High School Hammer Thrower declared he would be attending our meet, and we were not disappointed. Ambrose obliterated the competition, finishing with a throw of 68.52 meters (224 feet, 9 inches), which is also a new Personal Best. His throw crushed the previous High School Field Record of 56.55 meters, which has been standing since 2021. Our second-place finisher, Levi Graham, also set a new Men’s College Hammer Record. The 2020 Men’s College Hammer Throw Field Record of 57.76 meters was replaced by Levi’s very own mark of 58.71 meters. Levi will be entering his sophomore year at Southern Illinois University this fall. In third place came Hammerman USA’s very own Diego Campos, an incoming senior at East Aurora High School. Diego secured his 3rd place spot with a throw of 51.73 meters.
Women’s Hammer Throw
In the women’s division of the Hammer throw was a plethora of achievements. Nia Britt, a 26-year-old graduate of the University of Iowa, came down to the Hammerman USA field to secure first place with a throw of 61.82 meters (202 feet, 9 inches). In second place came Alice Mihas with a throw of 48.99 meters, a two-meter improvement on her previous personal best of 46.42 meters. Our third-place finisher was 20-year-old Gabriella Yaccino. Gabriella threw just shy of her PR and took 3rd place with a throw of 47.13 meters. Great Job Ladies!
Men’s Discus
The Men’s Discus throw was full of close competition- the top four seed throws listed in Flight 2 were within at least 4 meters of each other, and the athletes felt it as they stepped into the ring to throw. Taking advantage of the favorable wind, Evan Sweeney of the Aurora Sundowners Track Club punched his ticket to first place with an outstanding throw and PR of 54.24 meters (177 feet, 11 inches). Not only did he take first place, but he also set a new Men’s High School Discus Throw Field Record, replacing the previous mark of 53.93 meters which was set last year.
In second place was 17-year-old Chance Butz of Thunder Throws Club. Chance also improved his previous PR of 49.30 meters and replaced it with a new mark of 51.51 meters. In third place came UIUC incoming junior Daniel Coxworth of Hammerman USA. Daniel also felt the competition as he set a new Personal Best mark of 46.38 meters, which was almost a one-meter improvement on his previous PR of 45.67 meters.
Women’s Discus
This meet’s champion of the Women’s Discus Throw was Unattached Thrower Alexandra Freeman. A 30-year-old open thrower, Alexandra earned her first-place ribbon with a huge throw of 56.39 meters (185 feet even); this throw also sets a Women’s Open Discus Field Record! Aubrey Brinkman, a 20-year-old student at Lewis University, took second place with a throw of 40.16 meters, which was only a meter short of beating her PR of 41.72. Alice Mihas returned from her outstanding performance in the hammer to dominate the competition and take third place with a throw of 39.80 meters.
Men’s Shot Put
The Men’s Shot Put Throw saw the return of Javaris Ambrose once again as he took home another first-place ribbon in this event. Javaris dominated the competition with his throw of 17.58 meters. In second place came Chance Butz, who also placed in the discus earlier. Chance secured 2nd place in the shot with a throw of 16.50 meters a new PR. And finally, the third-place ribbon was awarded to Karrel Harvest of the Boas Throwing Club, whose best throw of the day was 15.83 meters.
Women’s Shot Put
In first place of the shot put’s Women’s Division was Arisa Bisofa of the Boas Throwing Club. At only age 13, Arisa dominated a flyte of high school and college athletes and rightfully earned her first-place ribbon. Arisa’s winning mark was close to a PR; 12.63 meters. In second place came unattached thrower Ashley Smith with a near PR of 12.21 meters. The third place finisher was Lou Matulenko of the Boas, earning her ribbon with a throw of 10.41 meters.
Javelin Competition
This meet’s Javelin Crew was a rather small group, having only one flyte per gender division. Nevertheless, both the Men’s and Women’s Javelin saw outstanding performances. Chance Butz of the Men’s division earned his first place javelin victory with a throw of 38.17 meters. In second, only 4 centimeters from taking first was The Boas Throwing Club’s Matthew Lee with a throw of 38.13 meters. Evan Sweeney, the meet’s discus champion, took home a third place ribbon in the event.
More Highlights
Although the outstanding performances of the athletes and 5 field records being broken were quite exciting, those weren’t the only highlights of today’s meet. The spectators and athletes of Hammeman Field were in for a real treat as Carnitas Don Feyo set up outside the facility. Serving delicious tacos, candy, ice cream, chips, drinks, and more, the attendees of this Hammerman USA meet were refreshed and full of delicious food. Carnitas Don Feyo is a family-owned business that makes all of their mouthwatering dishes from scratch. To have them cater for your next event, check them out on Instagram at @carnitasdonfeyoo, or give them a call at 630-272-4826.