Placing third all-time in LSU’s record book Saturday at the Tiger Relays in the shot put with a throw of 49-07.75 is good for Katie McKeever, but the sophomore thinks she can do much better.
“It’s my best throw outdoors, but I can do a lot better,” McKeever said. “I was glad to get a decent throw, but I wasn’t super-excited about the actual mark.”
McKeever considers a distance of 51 feet as an exceptional mark for herself. Her best throw came indoors earlier this year with a 51-01 mark. Mckeever did qualify for the NCAA Regionals and hopes to eventually qualify for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships in June.
“When I was in high school, I knew I had a good chance of throwing in college,” she said. “That was exactly what I looked forward to — throwing against the best people in the country.”
The Woodland, Calif., native was a member of Oregon’s track and field team but transferred to LSU this season after the situation in Oregon proved unbeneficial for both parties. McKeever said the Louisiana weather is more conducive for track and field, and she also likes the attention and respect that comes with the LSU program.
McKeever also said LSU assistant coach Kent Pagel is the main reason she came to LSU. Pagel was director of a junior track and field league developmental camp in San Diego, Calif., when McKeever attended the camp. After things did not work out in Oregon, McKeever called Pagel and the Tigers were more then glad to add McKeever to the team.
“I knew her when she was in high school,” Pagel said “At that time I knew she was going to be a good thrower.”
Pagel said McKeever has vastly improved in the shot put in a short amount of time. He attributes McKeever’s performance to her hard work ethic.
“Katie’s been wonderful since she’s transferred here,” Pagel said. “The biggest surprise is that her shot put has improved so much, and she’s become a really good shot-putter over a short period of time.”
McKeever said while Pagel has helped her with the technical aspect of throwing, Ramona Pagel, his wife, has helped her with the mental tactics. Ramona helps with Southeastern Louisiana’s track program. As a four-time Olympian and American record-holder in the shot put, she gives McKeever tips on how to get a mental edge over the competition.
“We’ve talked a lot about different psychological parts of throwing, and she’s someone I have a lot of respect for and look up to,” McKeever said. “She’s always around for encouragement and support.”
McKeever said the mental aspect in throwing is important because the competition consists of only a few throws. She said with so much time in between throws she tries to keep her mental focus on an even kiel.
“With throwing there’s so much waiting in between times,” McKeever said. “I think the hardest part is staying as focused as I can and trying not to get my arousal level too high or too low within that time period in between every throw.”
McKeever hopes she can continue to improve over the next few years and compete in the 2008 Olympics. She might need to bring her teammate Monet Rice with her, though. McKeever said Rice has braided her hair before every meet that she has done well in.
Rice takes full credit for McKeever’s record-setting performance last week and hopes to bring her more luck in the future.
“I’m really blessed, and when I touch people they get blessed,” Rice said. “I really think it’s just psychological for her.”
Rice also benefits from the energy McKeever brings to practice every day.
“I think she makes practice so much brighter,” Rice said. “When she’s having a good day, I’m having a good day and vice versa. She feeds off of me, and I feed off of her.”