Wake Forest Athletics
Merckle Takes 11th Overall at USA Championships
6/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
June 26, 2014
By Currie McFayden, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeTrack)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Jessie Merckle placed 11th overall in the javelin throw at the 2014 USA Track and Field Championships at Sacramento's Hornet Stadium on Thursday evening, her final competition this season.
Throwing in the first flight, Merckle's second throw of the night proved to be her best mark with a distance of 167-8 (51.10m). Coincidentally, that matched her distance from the NCAA East Regional last month and tied for her fourth-best throw of the season.
Among collegiate competitors, the sophomore placed fifth in a field that included the newly-crowned NCAA champion Fawn Miller of Florida. Oklahoma's Elizabeth Herrs was the top performer among the group, taking fifth in the overall competition with a toss of 187-8 (57.21m).
The strong performance caps off a sensational season for Merckle, who became one of only three Wake Forest athletes to win consecutive ACC championships in the same event. She shattered the school record as well as the ACC meet record with a throw of 177-0 (53.94m) to defend her javelin title in April.
Working her way back from a series of offseason injuries, the Hickory, Pa., native kicked off the season with a bang at the Wake Forest Open, breaking the 170-foot barrier in a competition for the first time with a mark of 170-2 (51.88m) to win the event.
She would go on to capture the aforementioned ACC championship as well as another win at the Georgia Tech Invitational, where she logged her third throw of more than 170 feet of the season, finishing with a throw of 170-11 (52.09m).
At the NCAA Championships earlier this month, Merckle became Wake Forest's first-ever All-American in the javelin throw, earning Second Team honors with a heave of 160-3 (48.84m) to finish 12th overall.
With victories in seven of her 11 collegiate javelin competitions and a healthy offseason ahead, Merckle will seek to become the first track and field athlete in Wake Forest history to win three consecutive ACC championships in the same event in 2015.
Players Mentioned
