To Temi Ogunrinde, the proposal seemed preposterous. She had been a sprinter her whole life, and that's what felt comfortable.
Matt Bingle, however, had another idea. The Gophers women's track and field coach approached the former Park of Cottage Grove standout in the fall of 2014 and basically said: We want you to grab the handle of this chain that has a 9-pound steel ball attached to it, spin around in a circle and fling that thing as far as you can.
"It was like, 'Coach, what are you doing? This is not what I want to do,' " Ogunrinde recalled.
But three seasons later, Ogunrinde (pronounced oh-GURR-day) has become a standout in the hammer throw and has a solid shot to earn All-America honors at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships. She's one of a program-record 14 athletes who'll compete for the Big Ten champion Gophers women in Eugene, Ore., from Wednesday through Saturday.
"To bring the biggest squad in program history to nationals — we wanted to make a statement that this was an impactful and memorable squad, and I think we've done that," said Ogunrinde, a fourth-year junior. "Whatever happens at nationals is just the icing on the cake."
Ogunrinde holds the Gophers' record with a throw of 221 feet, 3 inches, and she qualified for her second NCAA outdoor meet by finishing third in the NCAA West preliminary meet at 216-2, which is fourth among the 24 qualifiers.
"She's got a good shot," Bingle said. "She should feel super confident going in."
From sprinting to throwing
When recruiting Ogunrinde out of Park, Bingle saw athletic potential in the two-time all-state sprinter. She also played soccer and basketball, and the coach felt her skills could translate to the hammer throw. He ran the idea by assistant Peter Miller, who coaches the Gophers throwers.