EUGENE, Oregon - Northwestern State's Trecey Rew didn't match her personal best throw in the discus, but on the same day she was named an Academic All-American, she was the second best collegian in the discus throw while placing seventh overall among 16 entrants with a throw of 185-7 on the first day at the USA Track and Field Championships Thursday afternoon at Hayard Field.
Rew didn't fare so well in the shot put later in the evening.
"She had a pretty good day in the discus," said Lady Demon head coach Mike Heimerman. "Trecey really went after it in her fifth and final throw, but it was the one in the sixth round that had the crowd in awe.
"Round six was a monster," said Heimerman. "But it was a sector foul by a couple of feet around the 60 meter line. The crowd went crazy when it was in the air and let out a big 'oh' when it hit the ground. But it was still a great day."
Only Arizona State's Anna Jelmini threw farther than Rew among the collegian throwers as she landed a 193-1 mark on her third throw.
Stephanie Brown-Trafton of the Nike team won the event with a 207-10 mark.
Rew threw a 175-8 on her first throw then bettered that by 10 feet with her 185-7 mark the next round. She then threw 172-10, 161-8 and 159-7 on her next three throws. And on her sixth and final toss, the disc landed around the 60-meter line but was out of the lines by a couple feet.
She didn't do as well in the shot put as she managed a 52-2 3/4 marking for a 15th place finish.
"She warmed up well," said Heimerman. "She was trying to arm it and not wait on her technique to put it out there. It was just a lot to try to get up for two competitions on the same day at this level. I'm not saying she couldn't have done it because she could. She was going for the big one and couldn't get it. This event saw the second and third best throws in U.S. history today."
The Garland, Texas, native is wrapping up one of the most remarkable competitive careers in school history at the USA Championships. Two weeks ago, Rew claimed the NCAA championship in the discus, becoming the first Lady Demon to capture a national title and giving the Northwestern track and field program its third NCAA crown and first since 1990.
She swept the Southland Conference Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Student-Athlete of the Year honors. She finished her career with eight individual Southland titles, winning the conference Field Event Athlete of the Year award in the final three SLC championships she entered.
She is a three-time All-America recipient in the sport by virtue of her finishes in the shot put and discus at the last two NCAA Outdoor Championships. She was ninth in the 2010 shot put and 15th this year.
The school and Southland Conference record holder in both events, she carried personal bests of 192-4 in the discus and 57-0 ¼ in the shot into Thursday's USA Championships competition.