Adelaide Aquilla left no doubt about who the best shot putter in NCAA women's track and field was this year.
After already winning the indoor national championship in the shot put earlier this year, Aquilla made it a sweep on Thursday night, when she took gold at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships with a first-place throw of 62 feet, 3 1/4 inches.
WOW! ADELAIDE AQUILLA IS THE NCAA CHAMPION IN THE SHOT PUT! She threw 59-7 1/2 on her fifth throw to take the lead and then 62-3 1/4 on her last throw to regain the lead from Josie Schaefer from Wisconsin. Aquilla is your 2021 NCAA indoor and now outdoor shot put champion! pic.twitter.com/e73m0MPHWN
— Ohio State T&F/XC (@OhioStateTFXC) June 11, 2021
Good Friday Morning Rocky River, Ohio ... Columbus ... and Eugene, Ore. Adelaide Aquilla - @aaquilla39 - is a national champion. She's a two-time national champion! #GoBuckeyes @OhioStAthletics
— Ohio State T&F/XC (@OhioStateTFXC) June 11, 2021
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S A D E L A I D E ! ! pic.twitter.com/QXeN5CxU0V
She defeated second-place finisher Josie Schaefer of Wisconsin by two feet and three inches.
Aquilla already set the school record in the shot put earlier this year with a throw of 62 feet, 8 3/4 inches that earned her gold at the Big Ten outdoor championships that also currently ranks as the ninth-best mark in the world this year. She ranks third among all American shot putters this year, giving her a very real chance of making this year's U.S. Olympic team. She'll compete in the shot put at the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 24.
Ohio State's Sade Olatoye, on the final night of her decorated collegiate career, also made the shot put final on Thursday and finished eighth, while she also earned All-America honors in the hammer throw with a seventh-place finish.
The NCAA outdoor track and field championships continue on Friday and Saturday, and two other Buckeye athletes also look like strong contenders for individual national titles. Tyler Johnson qualified second with a time of 45.33 seconds for the men's 400-meter dash final, which will be run Friday at 9:02 p.m., while Anavia Battle qualified first with a time of 22.50 seconds for the women's 200-meter dash final, which will be run at 7:37 p.m. Saturday.
