Hillsdale College freshman Averi Parker opened the 2021-22 indoor track and field season with a bang.
She's ending it as an All-American.
Parker threw a personal best of 14.81 meters in the women's shot put at Saturday's NCAA DII Indoor Track and Field Championships, snagging eighth place in the competition and giving the talented freshman All-American recognition in her first-ever trip to the national meet.
It's an exciting finish for a thrower who made a big impression in her first collegiate meet back in December, throwing 14.77 meters at the GVSU Holiday Open, a mark that, at the time, was tied for the second best throw by a Charger thrower in Hillsdale history.
That throw also held up throughout the season and got Parker into the national meet as a provisional qualifier, an opportunity the freshman took full advantage of on her third throw of the competition.
Hillsdale very nearly had a second thrower in the finals competing for All-American honors as junior Nikita Maines, a three-time national qualifier in the shot put, was sitting in the final spot with a mark of 14.23 meters and just one thrower who could pass her to go in the preliminaries. Unfortunately, that final throw just edged Maines out for the last spot in the final, and the junior finished in 10th place in a strong year for the women's shot put.
The future is extraordinarily bright for both of Hillsdale's throwers. Parker was the only freshman in the top eight and one of just three freshman competitors in the event, making her a contender in future years if she can keep improving. Maines, meanwhile, surpassed her finish from 2021 and still has another year of eligibility to compete in 2022-23 as a thrower who's gone over 15 meters multiple times and will always be a factor in the national conversation as long as she has eligibility.
Both Parker and Maines now turn their focus to the 2022 outdoor campaign, and building off a strong indoor season to chase an even bigger finish at the 2022 Outdoor Championships at the end of May.