PUEBLO, Colo. - One throw was all Hannah Woelfling needed set the bar for the rest of the competitors in Thursday's hammer throw at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. Woelfling's 203-4 remained her best, and she went on to finish as the NCAA runner-up. 

It is the best finish by a Marauder in the event, and Woelfling is now a three-time All-American in the hammer throw. Her top mark was topped only by Grand Valley State's Judith Essemiah, who is now a two-time national champ. 

"It's my last competition so I wanted to go out with a bang and do what I was capable of doing," said Woelfling. "I was trying not to think about too much of anything. I knew if I thew over 60 meters, I would have a shot at a top-four finish and All-America."

Woelfling nearly hit 62 meters with her first toss, and it was a surprising distance considering that her early strategy was to be safe and just get a throw on the leaderboard. 

"I knew what I had to do, and I honestly held back and was more controlled (with the first throw)," said Woelfling. "I typically throw as hard as possible, but I just wanted d to get one in. That throw had a good, comfortable feeling to it."
 
Woelfling entered the event as the No. 4 seed with a season-best of 205-3. Her first attempt pushed her immediately into first place, but Essemiah posted her winning distance of 211-0 in the second round. Qualified for the finals and sitting in second place after two throws, Woelfling altered her strategy. 

"Honestly, I was trying to be aggressive and keep in mind what I wanted to hit position-wise," said Woelfling. "My legs felt a little tired so I had trouble stepping quickly. It wasn't exactly clicking."

 "Having a good first throw gets you amped up but it also calms the nerves," said Millersville throws coach Brittany Hartman. "Hannah got one in so then she can go a little crazy. But that's why technically it wasn't going as well."

Woelfling sacrificed technique for speed, but she topped 200-0 on just one of her final five attempts. It was a risk worth taking as Essemiah sat nearly six feet further than Woelfling's PR. It would have taken a perfect throw to catch the champ. 

"I felt like where she was was where she needed to be for second," said Hartman. "She was putting some good throws together and missed some little things that could have challenged first place."

"It's an odd feeling because I feel a little underwhelmed with my performance," said Woelfling. "I thought I could hit a 63 (meters), but at the end of the day, second place to someone six feet in front of my PR is not a bad day."

The silver medal at nationals is a monumental achievement for Woelfling and the Millersville track and field program. Hartman's throws squad has dominated at the PSAC level in recent years, but Woelfling is just the second Marauder to finish as a national runner-up or better in an event. Sunflower Greene won the indoor national title twice and placed second in the outdoor shot put in 2018. Woelfling is the fourth Marauder since 2017 to finish as an All-American in a throwing event.

"It continues to put us on the map," said Hartman. "Hopefully Hannah's finish will continue to bring kids here who want to work hard and be a part of a strong group of women." 

Woelfling's championships isn't finished. She competes in the discus on Friday, and is throwing for her first All-America honor in the event.