FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Kent State senior women’s javelin thrower Kimberley Hamilton’s storybook season had a fairy tale ending at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Hamilton heaved the javelin a career-best 50.80 meters on Friday to nail down fifth place in the event’s finals on the sport’s biggest collegiate stage. Thanks to her top-eight finish, Hamilton was recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as an All-American.
“It’s totally unreal,” said Hamilton. “I’m really fortunate to have the opportunity in the first place. It’s an incredible feeling.”
To call Hamilton’s story unreal probably isn’t doing it justice. The native of Cave Junction, Ore. was perhaps Kent State’s most pleasant surprise of the season. After spending four standout seasons on the KSU softball team as a center fielder, Hamilton decided to use her remaining year of NCAA eligibility to try her hand at the javelin, and all she did was develop into one of the best throwers in the nation.
Hamilton became a conference champion and beat the regional mark five times. She won the Mid-American Conference title in the event with a 48.74-meter throw. Hamilton continued her Cinderella season as a javelin thrower at the NCAA Mid-East Regional meet in Louisville, Ky. with a 50.19-meter toss that nailed down third place in the event. Her throw at regionals was just short of her previous career-best throw of 50.27 meters at the Duke Invitational.
“I always try to set high standards,” said Hamilton. “It was stepping stones that got me here, from my first meet to the MAC Championships to the NCAA Championships.”
The road to the javelin’s final round at the NCAA Championships was not easy for Hamilton. Sitting in 17th place in the qualifying round Wednesday, Hamilton heaved her final attempt 49.33 meters to finish eighth and advance.
“I told myself that I wasn’t done yet,” said Hamilton. “I used a softball situation to help get me through; a mentality of bottom of the seventh, two outs with the game on the line. It’s something I’m familiar with, and I just went at it.”
While Hamilton’s collegiate career has officially come to an end, she has her sights set on an even bigger goal. She plans to spend the next three years training for the opportunity to qualify for and compete in the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London in 2012. That road will begin with the USA Track & Field 2009 National Championships, held on Hamilton’s home turf in Eugene, Ore. June 25-28.
Hamilton was not the only Golden Flash competing Friday at the NCAA Championships. Freshman Diana Dumitrescu completed an outstanding rookie campaign by taking 15th in the women’s heptathlon with 5,382 points. The native of Campulung, Romania opened the second day of the event’s competition with a 14th-place finish in the long jump, recording a leap of 5.75 meters for 774 points. Dumitrescu also took 14th in the javelin throw with a 36.04-meter toss to pick up 591 points. The freshman finished up her first national championship appearance by clocking a 2:31.98 in the 800 meter run for 23rd place and 668 points.
On Thursday, Dumitrescu finished the 100 meter hurdles in 14.37 to place 20th and earn 927 points. She elevated herself 1.72 meters to force a three-way tie for seventh and snatch 879 points in the high jump. The shot put saw Dumitrescu earn 729 points courtesy of a throw of 13.02 meters. Dumitrescu wrapped up her initial day of championship competition with the 200 meter dash, clocking a 25.83 finish for 22nd place and 812 points.
Dumitrescu dominated the event throughout the season, provisionally qualifying for the championships twice. She twice shattered 2009 Varsity "K" inductee Aja Farris's 5,307 point total in 2000, the previous high water mark for the program in the heptathlon. Dumitrescu compiled a season-high 5,429 points to win the conference title, topping an outstanding performance earlier in the season at the 100th Drake Relays where she was the top collegiate finisher in the event and third overall with 5,350 points.
For complete results of the NCAA Championships, click here.
Courtesy: Matt Bliss
