She may not have been expected to make history, but that’s just what she did.
Kaitlyn Long describes herself as a perfectionist. That’s why she fit right in when she joined the Winona State University women’s track and field program as a freshman in 2014.
The Warriors have built a winning tradition in the throwing events, which include weight throw, hammer throw, shot put, and discus, and Long knew she would be expected to work hard.
She may not have been expected to make history, but that’s just what she did, winning the 2015 NCAA Division II national title while setting a school record in the weight throw on March 13 in Birmingham, Ala.
“I’m very excited to see what the future has in store,” Long said. “Obviously I had a good year but I can get a lot better.”
Long’s introduction to WSU assistant coach Mike Turgeon’s system came in fall workouts, which focused exclusively on the finer details of footwork and no throwing – like a football team running practice plays without footballs, week after week.
“We trained four hours a day, a lot of footwork, hundreds and hundreds of turns,” Long said. “It’s very technical, but if you can hit the position at the right time that’s when things start going well.”
Long, who is from Cottage Grove, Wis., and attended Monona Grove High School, caught on quickly. She was an accomplished prep athlete, finishing in the top-10 in the shot put at the Wisconsin state meet three consecutive years, and was eager to continue developing at WSU.
When Long was finally allowed to unleash throws at the end of fall workouts, she immediately impressed Turgeon and the other Warriors coaches – especially considering that the weight throw, not a high school event, was new to her. The weight is a 20-pound ball, similar to a shot put, on a short chain. Throwers spin before releasing it, and must stay within the designated circle.
Long quickly established herself the NSIC’s top weight thrower in the Warriors’ first indoor meets and broke the school record of 68 feet, 53⁄4 inches. Nerves and being the only freshman at the national meet didn’t slow her down one bit.
She hit 68-83⁄4 on her fifth throw, waited anxiously as two of her competitors stepped in for their final throws to try and beat her. When they couldn’t do it, she broke down and cried. Turgeon saw her and said, “You know you won, right?” Then she saw teammate Alissa Rausch, a senior and mentor, and started crying again. There were more tears of joy when she finally got to her cell phone and called her parents, Larry and Julie.
“The feeling is indescribable,” Long said.
Long, a psychology major who received a partial athletic scholarship, enjoys the demands of life as a student-athlete at WSU. “I love being busy,” she said. “Athletes tend to want to be the best, and I want to be the best in school, too.”
Rausch won the 2015 NCAA Division II outdoor national championship in the discus in May, giving WSU four individual national titles in throwing events, all coached by Turgeon. The others were Mary Theisen (discus in 2011) and Emily King (weight throw in 2007).
