Lewis-Smallwood Three-Peats as USATF Discus Champion
June 27, 2015 | Women's Track & Field
Former Illini wins crown on final throw
EUGENE, Ore. – Former Illinois women's track and field standout Gia Lewis-Smallwood (1998-01) won her third consecutive discus title at the United States Outdoor Track & Field Outdoor Championships on Saturday. Her mark of 63.09m (207' 0") on her final attempt wound up being the winning throw.
"It's not easy to win a national title, let alone three-peat," said event coach Mike Turk. "This was a hard earned victory for Gia. Her experience and mental toughness made the difference today."
The Champaign, Illinois, native sat in second throughout most of the competition and entered her final three throws with a mark of 61.24m (200' 11"). Neither Lewis-Smallwood's fourth nor fifth throws eclipsed her best throw of the opening round but she dug deep on her final attempt to earn the win. Lewis-Smallwood is the first athlete to three-peat in the event at the USATF Outdoor Championships since Seilala Sua won four straight titles from 1998 to 2001.
Lewis-Smallwood won last year's crown with a mark of 65.96m (216' 5") after winning her first national title in 2013 with a heave of 65.13m (213' 8").
USATF Outdoor Championships Discus Results
1. Gia Lewis-Smallwood, Nike / NYAC - 63.09m (207-0)
2. Whitney Ashley, NIKE - 62.21m (204-1)
3. Shelbi Vaughan, Texas A&M - 60.76m (199-4)
4. Kelsey Card, Wisconsin - 60.16m (197-4)
5. Stephanie Brown Trafton, NIKE - 58.11m (190-7)
6. Rachel Longfors, Unattached- 58.10m (190-7)
7. Summer Pierson, Unattached - 57.93m (190-0)
8. Rachel Varner, Unattached - 57.54m (188-9)
9. Katelyn Daniels, Unattached - 56.24m (184-6)
10. Valarie Allman, Stanford - 56.12m (184-1)
11. Jessica Maroszek, Unattached - 55.73m (182-10)
12. Alex Collatz, USC - 55.08m (180-8)
13. Tera Novy, USC - 54.93m (180-2)
14. Emmonnie Henderson, Louisville - 54.39m (178-5)
15 Kiah Hicks, Colorado St. - 54.26m (178-0)
16. Sarah Thornton, GBTC - 53.60m (175-10)
17. Maggie Ewen, Arizona St. - 52.77m (173-1)
18. Megan Smith, Unattached - 51.28m (168-3)
