Maggie Ewen finishes fourth in nation in hammer throw

DES MOINES – In a year of new experiences, Maggie Ewen has had to be adaptable. The St. Francis native is learning to navigate post-college life and adjust to a change in coaches, a transition that has come with its share of struggles.

That wasn't on her mind Saturday at the U.S. track and field championships. Ewen unleashed a personal-best throw of 246 feet, 2 inches to finish fourth in the hammer throw at Drake Stadium, an outcome that left the four-time NCAA champion exhilarated. Though that put her outside the top-three finish required to make the U.S. team for the world championships, the former Arizona State star considered it a big step forward.

DeAnna Price won a rousing competition with an American-record throw of 256-8, the best in the world this year. Gwen Berry was second at 250-10, and Brooke Andersen was third at 247-0.

"I blew myself away," said Ewen, who set her previous best mark of 244-7 at the 2017 U.S. championships. "Today was totally unexpected, but totally appreciated.

"This is just another step on the way, getting that PR. Now I've just got to keep building from there."

An NCAA champion in the hammer throw, shot put and discus, Ewen is the defending U.S. champ in the women's shot put. She will compete in that event Sunday on the final day of the meet.

Once Ewen completed her college eligibility in 2018, she stayed in Tempe to train. But her college coach, Brian Blutreich, has a deep group of Sun Devils throwers to develop. She was no longer the top priority — and with the Olympics coming next summer, Ewen needed to find a coach who could give her more individual attention.

Though she finished second in discus at last year's national championships, she has dropped that event to focus on the two in which she already competes at a world-class level. In 2017, while she was still in college, Ewen finished second in the hammer at the U.S. championships and 21st in the world championships.

"It's like a little weight off my shoulders, not having to throw all three," she said. "Right now, I feel I perform better in the shot put. But I feel like in the long run, hammer is going to be my best event."

Ewen's hope is to get into a solid training rhythm and "get all those good feels" that incremental progress brings. Ewen said Saturday's competition was fun — a feeling she hopes to duplicate Sunday and beyond.