Redshirt sophomore Jordan Dunigan’s best throw of the day did not start with confidence.

At the Gary Wilson Invitational in Minneapolis April 22, Dunigan opened the discus with a throw of 34 meters, far from where he expected to be. By the end of the meet, he had turned it into one of the best performances of his career.

Dunigan threw 58.12 meters to win the men’s discus and move to No. 8 on Minnesota’s all-time list.

“A lot of people see the PR,” Dunigan said. “But if you look at the field series, I started with the 34 in the disc as my first throw, and it was just a wild start.”

For Dunigan and redshirt junior Ella Pavlovich, Minnesota’s home meet was a chance to use familiar surroundings to bring progress before heading to the Drake Relay in Des Moines, April 23-25.

Pavlovich said competing at home has not always gone well for her. During her freshman year, she fouled out and did not even record a third throw. 

This time, with family watching, Pavlovich had a personal record and came close to one of her biggest goals.

“I’ve never had super great luck competing at home,” Pavlovich said. “It’s usually a little bit of a struggle for me.”

At the Gary Wilson Invitational, Pavlovich hit a then-personal best 59 meters twice in the hammer throw, before surpassing that mark two days later with a 60-meter throw at the Drake Relays.

“I personally have been really working toward 60 meters,” Pavlovich said. “Finally hitting 59 meters twice […] really got me excited to head to Drake and try again for 60.”

The weekend was part of a larger surge for Minnesota’s throws group.

Redshirt junior Anthonett Nabwe came three centimeters short of the NCAA all-time record in the women’s hammer throw at Drake, throwing 77.64 meters. The mark broke her own African and Big Ten records and later earned her USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honors.

Pavlovich said watching Nabwe and redshirt junior Hadley Streit continue to climb nationally has changed the energy around the group.

“If you’re not paying attention to Anthonett Nabwe, what are you doing?” Pavlovich said. “These people are girls who started never throwing before, and now they’re setting, almost setting NCAA records, setting Big Ten records.”

Dunigan said the same energy carries through the men’s side. Minnesota’s throwers are not only chasing individual marks, but also squad rankings and team points.

“Throwing is pretty individual,” Pavlovich said. “So seeing how it comes together on the squad rankings is pretty cool.”

Both athletes credited throws coach Peter Miller for the consistency behind that development.

Pavlovich described Miller as regimented, organized and clear with expectations. Dunigan said Miller’s consistency makes a difference, especially on days when athletes bring stress from outside track.

Dunigan remembered one winter practice when he received a disappointing exam grade right before heading to practice. He walked in frustrated, but Miller’s approach did not change.

“He’s the same person,” Dunigan said. “Coach Miller will tell you exactly what you did wrong in the most consistent and level tone that you’re used to hearing, no matter what’s going on at practice.”

That structure also starts before the competition.

Dunigan said Miller has athletes wake up hours before morning events, warm up at the hotel and arrive ready instead of rushing into competition.

“He gets us ready and keeps us ready,” Dunigan said.

That preparation has been especially important for both athletes as former redshirts. Pavlovich said redshirting gave her time to develop without the pressure of needing to perform immediately. She and other young throwers used that year to learn the hammer and adjust to college training.

“You don’t come in the best,” Pavlovich said. “You see exactly what you could be if you work hard.”

Dunigan said redshirting helped him adjust to the schedule of being both a student and athlete while building event-specific strength. Before college, he said, much of his lifting background came from football. Minnesota’s training gave him a different foundation for discus and hammer.

Now, both are looking toward the postseason.

Pavlovich said her next goal is to become more competitive at Big Tens and potentially move onto Minnesota’s top-10 list. Dunigan wants to reach 60 meters in the discus and continue helping Minnesota’s hammer group climb nationally.

For Pavlovich, the goal is no longer just getting experience.

“I’m not just there to get the experience of competing,” Pavlovich said. “I can actually shake some people’s days up and be a competitor.”