Victoria Lotz National Championship Hammer Throw, Deep Dive

OLATHE, Kan. - Victoria Lotz broke down her Hammer Throw national championship with Sports Information Director Chad Jenkins.

Chad Jenkins: How did you end up at MNU?

Victoria Lotz: I had grown up playing piano recitals in the Bell Center every year, so I was already pretty familiar with MNU. I knew I wanted to play sports in college, and MNU made the most sense to me. I also was able to talk with a few professors before committing, and it was really reassuring to enter into my collegiate career knowing I would be supported both academically and athletically.

CJ: How did you get into throws in the first place?

VL: My older sister was a track & field athlete as a multi/hurdler in high school and eventually college. I had to go to all her meets so I figured I'd do something while I was there too. I started throwing Discus and Shot Put around middle school and the rest is history. I've learned (and lifted) so much since then!
 
CJ: You've always been among the best at the throws, but this year it seemed like you made significant improvements - breaking school records regularly, earning National Player of the Week multiple times – what was the difference this year? 

VL: This year, like every year for me, was about improvement. Whether it comes with a school record or not, I always want that next PR. Don't get me wrong - I'm very proud to have those records - but I always want to be getting better. It just so happened that some of the PRs I was chasing also meant I was chasing a school or meet record. The difference is that I've spent 4 years working to get to the top. Having 4 years of experience under my belt also means I'm one of the oldest out here in the NAIA; throwing is incredibly technical and you only get better the longer you do it. I can attribute my success to the time and effort I've spent on this sport and Coach Houser, my throws coach, who's really improved me for the past three years. His coaching led me to some high national rankings early on. Coach Houser also helped me get into some big meets this year that gave me great experience under pressure. Having those high-pressure moments helped not only my mental fortitude in dealing with adverse conditions, but I think it also marked me as a decent national competitor when I could rise to the challenge.


CJ: During the season, do you pay attention to the other NAIA throwers around the nation to see where you stand?

VL: I didn't use to, but I have these past two years. I like to know where I'm seeded coming into these national events, but I also like to check for my HOA friends. It's fun for me to see where my fellow Heart of America throwers are at so that I know I'll have good company when we get to nationals. Once we get to the big stage we like to stick together. Competing for 4 years you get to know and recognize some friends!
 
CJ: Talk about Indoor Nationals. It's unusual to be disappointed in being 4th in the nation, but it felt like you were a shoe-in for the title.

VL: I think I had the national lead the entire season leading up to nationals, so failing to live up to my expectations there was heartbreaking. There's a lot to be said about the technique and mental strength you have to have to be a great thrower, and I wasn't able to balance the focus, relaxation, and intensity that I needed to have. That was a really tough day for me. But you can't forget that everyone there is a great competitor too, it's hard not to give those women their flowers.

CJ: Did that fuel your drive for the Outdoor title?

VL: Absolutely it did. Knowing I have dedicated so much in the past four years of my life to this sport just to fall when I was on the brink of success was brutal. I had to be sad about it for a few days and give myself time to reflect but then it was back to business with some hard-earned lessons. You can let a big failure motivate you, but you can't dwell in it.

CJ: Talk about each hammer throw at Nationals. You fouled on the first two, so you had to mark on the third attempt to be allowed to continue.

VL: That's right. For every throws event, you get three tries to get your farthest throws in. Once everyone has thrown all three, the officials will find the top 9 distances and those throwers each get three more tries. My first two attempts I think I just stepped out of the front at the end of my throws, which meant I only had one last chance to make it to finals. I was also dealing with a rainy day and no backup implement, which are not the best conditions to throw in. But those three are all conditions that I've worked in this season, which took away some of the nervousness. After that second foul, I had to recollect myself with my coach, and we made the decision to drop down from a 3-turn technique to a 2-turn in the ring. That third throw I was both incredibly stressed that I would throw it into the cage, and at the same time so confident that I couldn't foul out on a two-turn to end my MNU hammer career. But Coach Houser made a great call, and that 2-turn took me from dead last to 2nd overall. I think that was the first 2-turn I had competed with all year. Sorry for giving you so many gray hairs, coach!
 
Finals was a relief, all I wanted was three more chances to get a PR. The fourth throw, I wanted to put a little more on it to find my rhythm and really get a solid throw in. That throw, 57.97m, was my farthest of the day. I put more pressure on my fifth throw and got it stuck up in the net, so I had to watch it and hope it fell down before my last throw. I ended up asking the official if he could tug it down since I didn't have a backup, and we got it down right before my final throw. I knew that last throw was a bad one as I let it go, but I just wanted to keep my last ever MNU hammer throw.
 
After my last throw, I was so nervous that I had to walk away. There was one thrower left in the competition who had the chance to surpass my throw, and I couldn't watch it. I had run out of chances and it wasn't up to me anymore. I walked over to some of the trees right behind the ring and had to just kneel and send up a little prayer alone while I listened to the crowd's reaction. I honestly couldn't tell if I had pulled it off so after the buzz died down, I turned around and started looking for my coach to see if we had really done it.


CJ: What did you feel the moment you realized you'd won?

VL: Disbelief, relief, joy, and thankfulness. I basically ran up to my coach and was asking him "did we do it?" over and over because I couldn't get a read on him before he finally responded yes! That was a moment I'd been working and praying on for a while.

 
CJ: Final thoughts?

VL: A huge thank you to my coach, my teammates, and my family. God has blessed me to be surrounded by amazing people who make it all so much better. This sport has taken a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and I wouldn't have made it this far without them. Also, a shout out to all my MNU people who have supported me in my offices and classrooms!