PITTSBURG, Kan. - The second time is even sweeter. Two attempts in and in danger of missing the finals, Millersville University senior Sunflower Greene delivered her season-best mark and went on to defend her NCAA Division II Indoor Championship in the shot put Saturday, besting the field by more than a foot. 

Greene became the seventh two-time NCAA indoor shot put champ since the event began in 1985 and is the first since 2012. In true Sunflower Greene fashion, she was at her best on the grandest stage. She won it with a mark of 53-3, which was nine inches better than her previous season-best and just an inch under her national championship mark from 2018.

Last season, Greene became the first female Marauder in more than 30 years to win an individual national title. Now, she is the first two-time winner. The quest to repeat carried with it pressure. The pressure increased when she finished 10th and below her expectations in Friday's weight throw. Saturday's win put to rest a full year of thinking about a title defense.  

"The second championship is better by far," Greene proclaimed with a smile. "Last year it was like, 'I did this, but now I have to do it again.' This year, as a senior, I can say that I finished on top."

Greene, however, very nearly missed the championship finals. As the No. 5 thrower in the second flight and the No. 3 overall seed, Greene posted a substandard 46-11 1/2 on her first attempt and a 48-7 1/2 on her second. Those two marks left her in ninth place--right on the cut line--with five others behind her in the third round--ready to knock the champ out early. 

Millersville University throws coach Brittany Hartman huddled with Greene after the second throw and gave her athlete some simple advice: relax. 

"On the first two she was being impatient and not waiting for the throw to come," said Hartman. "That's typical of her when she wants to throw far. I wasn't surprised. On the third one, I told her to take a deep breath, relax before you go in and really focus on waiting for the legs to get set."

"I was super nervous after my first two just because I knew it wasn't what I was capable of," confirmed Greene. "Going into the third one I listened to my coach and focused on what she was saying, trusted in the process of what I had been doing all season. I knew that if I could put one together it would be a good one."

Greene's 53-3 put her more than 16 inches in front of the rest of the field entering the finals where each of the top nine athletes would get three more attempts. Greene posted a 52-0 1/2 on her fourth attempt and fouled on her fifth. Entering the sixth round, the closest competitor was still 13 inches shy of Greene. The win, however, was far from assured. Greene had been unseated in the late rounds at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Ashland's Katie Baker, the No. 1 seed, had a season-best of 54-10 in her pocket.

"I was expecting one of the other throwers to hit a big one because it happened to me last year in outdoor," said Greene. "I was preparing myself that if they hit a big one then I would go out and match it. I knew they were chasing me."

Baker, however, fouled on her sixth attempt, sealing the national championship for Greene. 

"I was rooting for her but at the same time I didn't want her to beat me," said Greene. "They are all nice girls and I want them to do well but I want to beat them."

In addition to being a two-time indoor national champion in the shot put, Greene is a three-time indoor All-American--feats never before accomplished at Millersville. According to Millersville's head coach Andy Young, Greene's wins have a significant impact on the program. 

"For us, we are a smaller school," said Young. "Some of the schools here are known as track schools. For us to be able to mix it up with them is important. It sets a culture tone for our athletes--that some things are attainable that maybe they didn't believe were."