PUEBLO, Colo. - The wait was intolerable, but oh, was it so worth it. Through more than 40 attempts and a lengthy lightning delay, she waited and wondered. Would her season-best discus throw of 167-0 be enough? It was. Millersville University's Hannah Woelfling is an NCAA Champion. 

For the second day in a row at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships, Woelfling posted the throw to beat on her first attempt. But unlike in the hammer, this one held up. Woelfling bested the 20 best competitors in Division II for the first NCAA outdoor championship win in Millersville history. Woelfling joins Sunflower Greene '19 as the only Millersville track and field athletes with NCAA titles. She entered the event as the No. 7 seed and a previous best of 161-1. That did not matter, because on the biggest stage, and in the biggest moment of her career, Woelfling was at her best. 

"Man, it's hit me a little bit, but not fully," said Woelfling. "It's unreal, especially for my last season. It's a heck of a way to go out."

Jumping to first place on her first throw took some pressure off of Woelfling, but she then had to endure two more rounds of prelims and three rounds of finals. Two throwers into the sixth and final round, lightning and rain rolled into Pueblo and the athletes sat for nearly two hours before conditions cleared. 

"The wait was the worst," said Woelfling. "I'm not the type of athlete who can recover from a long wait, so I knew that (mark) was what I would have. Today was the same thing as yesterday where I was super amped up after the first throw so it was hard to settle, hit my marks and not throw too hard. At the end, I did what I could and could only control what I could control."

"It was pretty nerve-wracking, to say the least," said Millersville throws coach Brittany Hartman. "You come down from that high of being in first to wondering if she can hold. You are doing a lot of gritting your teeth and hoping. My heart was racing and hers was too. It is nerves every time someone throws. When you hear the mark you can breathe for a moment, and then you do it all over again."
 
In front of Woelfling in the sixth round was No. 1 seed and 2022 runner-up Erica Beistle, as well as Emma Richards and Sydney Blackburn, who had both finished in the top five a season ago. Blackburn's final attempt went for 154-2. Beistle and Grand Valley State teammate Margaret Stevenson both fouled. Kelsi Hulit posted a 162-7. One by one, the throws fell short of Woelfling. Finally, Grand Valley State's Emma Richards stepped in, and her final toss fell more than four feet short of Woelfling's standard. 

"I just thanked God," said Woelfling. "Again, I can only control what I can and do the best I can. It's His will be done. That's been a huge thing for me this season, giving up that control and knowing the outcome is the outcome, and His plan is the plan. When the last girl went in, it was just 'here we go.'" 

After her first-round toss, Woelfling hit 153-11, fouled twice, threw 157-5 in the fifth, and then fouled in the finals. That first attempt was when it all came together. She knew it when she released it, and the two weeks leading up to nationals all pointed her toward that throw. 

"After PSAC's, I came to discus practice for the first time and said to Coach B, 'What do we have to do? What is missing?' We changed some things up and really worked on it the last week and a half. I had really good practices all last week and here at the stadium. I knew I could do way better than my seeding. It was just a matter of what that would be. I just focused on hitting my positions and being relaxed. I wasn't nervous at all before the event. I think that combination let me get out one good one."

"It's been a long road," said Hartman. "She struggled a lot getting into a rhythm with discus, but it came at the most perfect time. She did what she needed to do. She worked hard and got to where she needed to going into it."
 
There was redemption for Woelfling in the performance as well. In 2022, she entered as one of the favorites but fouled on each of her first three throws. It was a shift in mindset that led her from a DNF to a national title. 

"Definitely, this year was a new year," said Woelfling. "Last year didn't come into my mind at all today. I just wanted a controlled throw. It worked for me yesterday (in the hammer). In past years at nationals, I had been intimidated by competitors, watching their warm-up throws and seeing how massive they were. Looking around today, I thought, 'I've got this, and I'm not scared of anyone."

Friday's performance was a fitting end to Woelfling's career as a Marauder. She graduated in May with a degree in technology and engineering education and as a four-time All-American, national runner-up in the hammer throw, national champion in the discus and seven-time PSAC champ. 

"Her work ethic is what stands out to me, her team-oriented personality," said Millersville head coach Andy Young. "Those are two tremendous traits that she brought to our program. She built on what Amanda Myers, Sunny Greene and Aliyah Striver had done, and a big component of that is Coach B. Hannah has been a tremendous asset to the program, and you couldn't be happier for her. You want kids like her to succeed."

UP NEXT
Millersville's Darian Hauf makes her NCAA Outdoor Championships debut Saturday in the pole vault. Her competition begins at 1 p.m. EDT.