Minnesota thrower Anthonett (Annie) Nabwe’s record-breaking began at Jamestown High School, where she broke the North Dakota state record in Class A for shot put with a throw of 15.9m her senior year.
As a junior, Nabwe won the North Dakota state championship in shot put and discus. She committed to Minnesota as a track and field athlete before shifting her focus to only throwing events.
Now, Nabwe seeks another invite to the Indoor Track and Field Championships.
With a throw of 23.56m at the Snowshoe Open home meet, Nabwe surpassed California Giavonna Meeks’ previous NCAA season record in weight throw by one centimeter.
The throw was her first personal record of the season and moved her to No. 3 in school history.
Before the throw, Nabwe said she remembered the advice her throwing coach Peter Miller gave.
“I know if I tense up, I tend to not throw as far, so I had to relax and execute like coach Miller taught,” Nabwe said.
Before her weight throw win, Nabwe began the Snowshoe Open with a shot put win, throwing 17.16m. Nabwe’s season-best 17.23m shot put throw at the Jack Johnson Classic on Jan. 25 ranks 4th in the nation.
Even after the win, Nabwe admitted she was more nervous about throwing shot put than weight throw.
“I know that if I use the right cues and don’t overdo anything, I can still throw far,” Nabwe said.
Changes to Nabwe’s approach to shot put included stepping into the ring faster, looking back more and stepping fully forward through her throws.
Miller said Nabwe is the most physically gifted person he has ever met, and the work she has put in outside is finally being seen.
“She’s figuring out how to train while figuring out how to be a great athlete and teammate, and now it’s showing on the field,” Miller said.
Last indoor season, Nabwe broke the NCAA freshman record in the weight throw at the Big Ten Championships with a mark of 23.36m.
After her freshman season, Nabwe was named the Big Ten Indoor Freshman of the Year. The first Minnesota thrower to receive the honor since Liz Podominick in 2005.
Despite describing herself as shy, Nabwe’s teammates say she is a leader.
“I’ve been here since day one with her, and I’ve seen the kind of person she’s grown into,” thrower Ella Pavlovich said. “She holds her teammates accountable while holding herself accountable.”
While Miller yelled with excitement when Nabwe broke the season record, he said he sees bigger and better things down the road.
“We have high expectations and big goals, so we’ve been working towards that throw and hopefully even longer throws in the future,” Miller said.
The No. 4 ranked Minnesota throwers will meet next at the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Feb. 28 in Indianapolis, Ind.
“The anticipation is building, and after a big throw like Annie had, it keeps the whole throwing team on our toes,” Pavlovich said. “I’m excited to watch Annie continue to compete.”
