After a throw of 112’ 9”, junior Ellie Westphal won first place in the javelin event at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Division 2 State Track Meet, hosted by Hingham High School, on May 29. 

How did it feel to win first place at the state meet?

“I was pretty surprised, to be honest. I was really excited and really happy because I felt like my hard work was paying off.”

How did you train throughout the season?

“During practice, I’ll go down to practice [javelin], probably around twice a week. I played baseball for a while, and that taught me how to throw things. A lot of those [mechanics] sort of carried into javelin. Some of the mechanics are a little different, but there wasn’t too much that I had to change.”

What were some challenges you faced during the meets or while training?

“There are definitely a lot of technical things to javelin, like getting it to stick. It took me a while to figure it out. Also, at the state meet, I had two really good throws and then four not-so-good throws, and so it can be inconsistent. Just trying to get a good throw every time can be really challenging.”

What was your main motivation to dedicate time and effort into this event?

“I had always wanted to try javelin. It sounded fun with my baseball background and sounded like something I would enjoy and be good at, so I had that connection. It started to pay off when I did pretty good in meets, so that motivated me even more.”

What are your goals for the future with javelin?

“It would be great to go as far as I can with it. Next year I just hope to have the same success and to keep improving my [personal record].”