Uva Throws

The best NCAA hammer thrower of all time, World Champion, Canadian Record Holder.... but Camryn is much more than an amazing athlete. She's a college graduate with two degrees who loves what she does and does what she loves. IfgIncredible ambassador for our sport and always happy to stop and chat with her fans. Word needs more Camryns!

Today with us we have a spectacular guest, Frantz Kruger! Olympic bronze Medalist from the Sydney Olympics, where he threw over 3 times 222’ in that competition, one of the highest distances to win a medal at a major championship of all time. He’s the South African and African record holder, 70.32m, and the record holder of Finland, 69.97m. These are certainly impressive facts, but what’s even more impressive is that Kruger has been throwing competitively with some of the greatest discus throwers for over 4 different decades now! From the early 90s, to now early 2020s, and still able to reach distances around 60m with 2kg discus. Elite thrower, and now an elite throws coach, coach Kruger shares with us tips on how to throw far without being extremely strong, and how to avoid injuries along the way.

Nicholas James "Nick" Ponzio is an American-born Italian shot putter. He competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Shot put. All-American Shot Putter in college, graduated from USC in 2017.

Today with us we have Nace Pleško, one of the best UVA throwers and students of all time. Nace is on his quest currently to travel around all 50 states while working form a van. Originally from Slovenia, came to USA on a Track and Field Scholarships, exceptional athlete, student and one of the best human beings you will ever meet!

Olympic Champion in Javelin, European Champion, 7 times over 90m, 25 times over 87m, 3rd throw of all time with a throw of 93.90m ( Fun fact, longest 2nd place throw by was achieved at that meet by Johannes Vetter 91.56m. Thomas is not only one of the best throwers of all time as you can see by his accomplishments, but he is also one of only few throwers of his caliber who is also taking time to teach and coach so many athletes and coaches about the skill of javelin throwing. The camps he attends to teach are very popular and successful and he’s committed to continue to expand and better javelin throw even as long as he can. It gave much to him he said, and he wants to pay it forward. In this interview he shares many valuable tips that will help you and your athletes tremendously, so listen close, learn, and take notes from Thomas Röhler. Follow Thomas at https://mobile.twitter.com/thomasroehler and https://www.instagram.com/thomasroehler/?hl=en

Welcome, welcome , to UVA Throws Podcast! Today with us we have Thelma Lind Kristjánsdóttir. Thelma is Icelandic National Record holder, 4th on UVA Discus All-Time list and one of our brightest students. Thelma will talk to us today about her experience as UVA Student-athlete, why she chose UVA, growing up and training in Iceland and many more things. So, without further ado, listen well and take some notes from Thelma Lind Kristjánsdóttir !

Can a Division 3 athlete make his way up to D1 Power 5 school? Absolutely! Our guest today, Ty Kunzman, managed to do just that, and more. Ty is one of our best hammer throwers of all time, ranking 6th on the All-Time performance list. He qualified for NCAA East Preliminary Round, threw over 60m there, his PR is currently 61.20m ( 200′ 9″). He was Named to 2021 ACC Academic Honor Roll and also Named to 2021 USTFCCA All-Academic Team. His Master’s was in Higher Education at UVA, and he will be doing a PhD now at UGA. Ty’s story is truly remarkable guys, worth listening and taking notes whether you are a coach or an athlete. He did both football and track in college, experienced some injuries and setbacks, but found a way to refocus himself. As mentioned, went to a D3 school, got his focus together, and, if he continues on this trajectory he will be the first president of the world. I mean, really folks, the perseverance, the hard work, determination this guy is incredible. Take a listen, it’s well worth

Jesse is our javelin thrower, majoring in commerce and minoring in entrepreneurship and only few weeks from graduation. She’s one of the best students on the team and has a job already lined up for her. She will share with us some very valuable tips of how to be successfully student athlete, how to balance life and responsibilities, and how to successfully set yourself up for life after college. Follow Jesse at https://www.instagram.com/jesse_gellerr/

Today with us we have Brittany the Dynamite Jones, roll-model to so many young women throwers out there, a for a good reason; she’s one of our best shot putters of All-Time, 2nd outdoor and 3rd indoor so far, and she’s even top 5 on our hammer throw list. Brittany is even more accomplished off the field as she is in the field. She’s studying Leadership and Public Policy, and will be pursuing a Master’s Degree or Law Degree after her undergraduate studies. In this Interview Brittany will share some very important insights for young athletes who are looking to compete in track and field in college so listen carefully and take some notes. Without further ado, Brittany - The Dynamite _ Jones Follow Brittany at https://www.instagram.com/brittmfjones/

Today with us we have Tomasz Majewski who won 10 major Championships medals, including 2x Olympic Gold medals and 2x European Championships Gold medals. Majewski is the only thrower to win 2 Olympics since Perry O’Brian in 1956 and is now serving as Polish Track and Field Vice President. Tomasz will talk to us about how he got into throwing, describes how the season before Beijing 2008 went at which he won his first Olympic gold and at which moment he knew he can become an Olympic Champion. As one of the longest lasting top throwers out there, he will give us advice on how to avoid injuries. His disappointment at 2011 World Championships was almost needed it in order to put all focus into London 2012 Olympics. He recalls his best training session when he was technically best in his life, the technical feeling that he never was quite able to duplicate, talks about importance of hitting the shot through the point. Talks about how to peak at the right moment, you’ll surprised what he has to say. What makes yo

Ryan Crouser, Olympic Champion, 4 time NCAA champion, High School Discus Record Holder… and the list goes on and on. Ryan talked to us about the difficulties he faced this season with training, his mindset during the lockdown, about importance of setting goals in everything that one does, his training and approach towards 2016 Olympic games, why he picked shot put over discus and many more things. Ryan is not just one of the best throwers of all time, but an incredible person and a true role model for all the young throwers out there.

Cait Mautz, one of the best javelin throwers of all time at University of Virginia has took some time to talk to us about her experiences and lessons she learned over time. Cait made All-ACC three times, and competed at NCAA 1st rounds Finals three times as well. She’s one of the toughest athletes out there, and your life will be instantly 20% better just by meeting her. A true fact  Check Cait Mautz at https://www.instagram.com/caitmautz/

14. Steve Manz - Miami Ohio Throws Coach by Martin Maric

Today with us we have Pobo Efekoro- 5 time All American, ACC Champion, ranked top 10 on UVA’s All-Time lists in every throwing event Indoor and outdoor (except javelin). He’s the strongest man in almost every weight room he walks in and always lights up the room. Competed internationally multiple times, is a chest guru; smart, humble, and just all around awesome guy. Pobo was, is, and always will be a crucial part of UVA throws. Follow him at https://www.instagram.com/truenijaking96/

Hall of Famer, John Godina! 5 times NCAA Champion, 4 times world champion, two times Olympic medalist and one of the only few that has ever competed at Olympic Games both in discus and shot put for USA, and he did it twice! He’s also a great coach of athletes and coach of coaches, founder of ALTIS, helping numerous people around the world. He’ll talk to us about how he got into throwing, influence his father had in his career, his NCAA record, and, something really unusual, how he got into long distance running, something not many throwers can say, and many other things. If you like our podcast, hit that subscribe button, it helps us a lot, and enjoy are interview with, one and only, John Godina! Follow John at: https://www.instagram.com/johngodina/

Ashley Kovacs is in her Sixth season as an assistant coach with the Ohio State track and field program. Kovacs mentors the Buckeye throwers and serves as one of the team’s recruiting coordinators. During the 2018-19 indoor and outdoor season she was responsible for the training and guidance of Sade Olatoye, a throws specialist who’s legacy will be tough to follow. During the indoor season Olatoye was placed on the Pre-NCAA Indoor Watch List for The Bowerman– collegiate track & field’s highest honor. Olatoye led the nation in both the shot put and weight throw after a stellar effort at the Indoor Big Ten Championships. The senior captured individual conference titles in both events with best marks of 17.88m (58-8) in the shot put and a 24.07m (78-11¾) in the weight throw. This stellar performance, along with her impressive ten titles in seven meets, being in Top Three of shot put and weight throw, has earned her a spot on this prestigious list. Olatoye is the first Buckeye in history to receive this honor, wri

As coaches, as friends, as human beings, it’s hard to have difficult conversations, necessary conversations, with people we deeply care for who are in our lives daily, difficult conversations on any subject; especially those about race. But those are conversations we absolutely have to have if we truly want better life for all human beings. Our school record holder, future lawyer and one of the most driven athletes UVA has ever had, Jade Baker, took some time to sit down with us and talk about her experiences through different stages of her life and at the end gave us few things that we can do to help stop racial biases and inequality in our society: 1. Marching – staying safe, but be active, let your voice be heard. 2. Donate – Pandemic is disproportionally affecting black community, even donating few dollars to can go a long way. 3. Education – reading, listening, watching educational content that will help you understand the issues better. 4. Challenging conversations – with your friends, parents or an

Mariami Kevkhishvili- Machavariani is a 2x Olympian, 5x NCAA Champion, University of Florida Hall-of-Famer, coach of multiple All-Americans, conference champions …. and the list goes on and on. Mariami will talk to us about University of South Florida, about what is she looking for when it comes to recruits, her coaching philosophy, how she got into throwing in the first place and many other things. Coach Mariam’s coaching resume is outstanding. During the 2017-18 season as a member of the University of Connecticut coaching staff, coach Kevkhishvili-Machavariani coached sophomore Divine Oladipo to All-America status in the shotput. Oladipo finished 12 overall (16.55m (54-3¾)) at the 2018 Outdoor NCAA Championships and was tabbed a second team All-American. The sophomore also claimed Honorable Mention accolades in the discus after finishing 18th in the event. Oladipo concluded her stellar sophomore campaign by being named the 2018 Northeast Region Field Track Athlete of the Year on her way to rewriting the UC

Even though she just graduated last year, Stamatia has already made her mark on the professional stage. She barely missed Finals at the World Championships in Doha, and is currently in the position that would qualify her for 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. She will talk to us about her experience as a high school, college, and now professional athlete, as well as lessons she learned from all those stages of her life. Check out Stamatia at https://www.instagram.com/stamscarvelis/ or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo3IA8DD5OVUxh2wsKR0_jg

Jason Tunks, 3x Olympian, Canadian Discus Record Holder will talk to us about his early days of throwing, college and professional career, and things he learned along the way that he was glad he did and things he wish he focused more on. He also gives a great advice to young athletes and coaches who are just getting into this sport, things he learned himself and things that he learned from other great coaches like Tony Ciarelli and others. Jason Tunks has been participant and finalist of multiple Word Championships as well, has been inducted into the London (Ontario) Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. He is NCAA Discus Champion, has reached over 62’ in Shot Put while in college as well, was Pan American Games Champion and many more things. Check out Jason Tunks at https://www.instagram.com/jason.tunks/