18.88m, that was senior Cameron Cornelius’ first mark of the
outdoor season. Almost two months later it is still the top shot put distance
in the American Athletic Conference. Now, after missing all of last season due
to injury, Cornelius is on the doorstep of qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
But before that, Cornelius will have to get through the competition
at the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships. This meet has been a
spot of frustration for Cornelius in his first two seasons as he has yet to win
an outdoor shot put title. Now after winning his third indoor title in as many
seasons, Cornelius is looking to finally complete the double.
“My freshman year and my sophomore year I thought I had it
in the bag,” Cornelius said. “I had pretty big throws out there. I thought no
one could catch me, I thought I was fine. But in the last rounds they did catch
me. So it’s mainly thinking that I could have a two foot PR but it’s still not
safe no matter what. So I have to continuously pump out big throws and never
let up.”
Cornelius has yet to match his PR from March, but it has
kept him in the competition all season. His mark of 18.88m is currently No. 20
in the NCAA West and No. 11 in the NCAA West. His spot at the West Regional is
all but secured, now his focus is on solidifying his spot on the national
charts.
The competition at conference is the perfect opportunity for
Cornelius. Including Cornelius, seven of the throwers have the ability to throw
over 18 meters. No one is going to win the event with one throw and everyone is
going to compete. Associate head coach Will Blackburn sees the shot put as the
best event at conference from a spectator’s standpoint.
“We told the kids this conference meet’s going to be a tough
meet,” Blackburn said. “It’s at home, people are going to come after us. If they
think it’s a walk in the park, no way, it’s going to be a battle.”
Pushing Cornelius every day at practice is senior Alex
Garza. Garza, a transfer from Coffeyville Community College, has become a key
tool for the throwers. With 2016 indoor conference shot put champion Felipe
Valencia red-shirting, Garza stepped up and became a partner for Corneliius to
test each other’s limits.
But Garza has championship aspirations of his own. He is
coming off a PR 18.03m at the Penn Relays. Not only did the throw win the
event, but it also shot Garza to No. 32 in the NCAA West, No. 3 in conference.
“It was amazing,” Garza said. “It felt like I didn’t even
throw the shot, it felt effortless. I didn’t even know it was going to be a PR.
I would love to get that conference title but it’s anybody’s game.”
Regardless of who comes out a champion Sunday night, both
athletes will have improved their mark on the national stage and put on a show
on Tom Tellez Field.
“At the end of the day they need to suit up and be ready to
go to war,” Blackburn said. “You can’t go in and assume that you’re going to
win because when that happens you will lose. They have the manpower to do it
but other teams are strong in the conference so they have to bring it.”
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