Competing among the best athletes in the world can often result in overconfidence, but for ASU track and field redshirt, junior thrower Maggie Ewen, staying humble is easy.
Ewen went to the Olympic Trials at the end of her sophomore year, but according to assistant coach Brain Blutreich, her rising career never changed her compassionate personality.
“Most elite level athletes are pretty outgoing, not afraid to speak their mind a little bit, where Maggie is inward and little bit more calm,” Blutreich said. “She kind of lets her throwing do the talking for her.”
So far, Ewen’s throwing has made a huge statement for the team. She set a new personal best of 17.50 meters — just 0.66 meters away from Sarah Steven’s indoor shot put record set in 2007 — and earned the No. 3 rank nationwide.
Ewen also achieved a new personal best in the weight throw of 21.04 meters.
Maggie Ewen SHATTERS her PR in the weight throw and improves to 21.04m (69-00.50) #BigDeal #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/Ho0HFO4mB0
— SunDevilTFXC (@SunDevilTFXC) February 4, 2017
The hot start came as a surprise to Ewen, who expected to have an off year because ASU replaced longtime throwing coach David Dumble.
“Coming into the new coaching change I was really ready for this year to go the opposite way and be ok with it,” Ewen said. “So the fact that it is going so well is awesome.”
Ewen's dominating performances originated in April of last year at the duel in the desert meet, where University of Arizona throwing coach, TJ Crater, challenged Ewen to throw farther then 65 meters in the women’s hammer throw.
Redshirt senior Ashley Weber said she remembers officials at that meet asking coaches how far they expected people to throw that day. Weber said Crater playfully elbowed Ewen and said that she would probably throw 65 meters — a distance she had yet to reach.
"And then we went out there and started competing and she threw over 65 meters three times that meet," Weber said.
That was the meet that turned Ewen's season around and led her to the U.S. Olympic Trials.
“She was a pretty elite thrower already coming into this year, quite honestly. I think she’s just scratching the surface of what she’s capable of doing,” Blutreich said. “There are a lot of things she has to learn and I think she understands that.”
Ewen is just tapping in to her potential and also her season goals, which include reaching nationals and performing like a top contender.
“I think one of the goals is trying to score in all three events at nationals,” Blutreich said. “To take that a step higher than last year and put herself in an opportunity to have a chance to win nationals.”
Weber said she believes Ewen's increase in confidence is the reason she is dominating early and attributes this to Blutreuch's coaching style.
However, Blutreich still thinks Ewen has a long way to go before mastering his system.
“I think the goal right now is to learn my system, some kids figure it out faster than others, she’s right in the middle,” Blutreich said. “There are some things that are a little more difficult (for her) than I thought they would be, there are some things that are a little easier.”
Ewen is looking at the season one meet at a time, but her ultimate goal this season is national competition.
“I’ve been really happy throwing over 17 meters in the shot put every meet so far,” Ewen said “I just want to keep that as a trend and wherever that puts me at, nationals will be awesome.”
At the 2016 Indoor National Meet, the top nine finishers all threw over 17 meters and this year, through three meets, Ewen is averaging 17.27 meters on her best throws.
If Ewen replicated her season average at the meet, it would put her around seventh place, based on results from the 2016 Indoor National Meet.
This weekend, Ewen will be competing in the Don Kirby Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico and expects to have another good meet.
“All the great ones have a burning desire inside, and she has that,” Blutreich said.
Reach the reporter at jzaklis@gmail.com and follow @JoshZaklis on Twitter.
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