Andersen continues to enjoy memorable moments at Roy P. Drachman Stadium, wins hammer competition with 262-2 (79.92m) effort in final round; Otterdahl also caps impressive shot put series with 73-6.25 (22.41m) mark on sixth attempt, joining Brown, Haugh, Jacobs and Malone-Hardin among victorious U.S. throwing athletes, with Baxter, Cunningham and Fritsch also prevailing  

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Chuck Utash

TUCSON, Ariz. – Although Brooke Andersen went to high school in the San Diego area and competed collegiately in Flagstaff, the former Northern Arizona All-American has always felt a significant connection and level of comfort with the hammer throw ring at University of Arizona’s Roy P. Drachman Stadium.

Andersen, the 2022 World Athletics Championships gold medalist, added to her legacy Saturday at the annual USATF Throws Festival by accomplishing a career feat only previously achieved by Polish star Anita Wlodarczyk.

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Andersen produced a world-leading performance of 262 feet, 2 inches (79.92m) in the sixth round to repeat as hammer throw champion in Tucson, benefiting from a steel tape measurement after her final attempt was originally recorded as a 262-foot (79.85m) effort.

Andersen set the facility record last year at the USATF Throws Festival with a mark of 263 feet (80.17m) and now boasts nine of the top 11 throws in American history.

Three of Andersen’s top five all-time career throws have occurred at Drachman Stadium, including 79-meter efforts in three consecutive years.

Andersen also joined Wlodarczyk as the only female competitors in the hammer globally to achieve at least five 79-meter performances during their careers.

China’s Jie Zhao was second at 243-1 (74.10m), with American athlete Annette Echinkunwoke taking third at 242-1 (73.80m).

Payton Otterdahl, who was runner-up in the shot put last year, capped a remarkable series Saturday that included four 22-meter efforts to triumph with a sixth-round performance of 73-6.25 (22.41m).

Otterdahl, who recently won both indoor and outdoor shot put events at Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, became the first American male competitor to win the shot put at the USATF Throws Festival since Ryan Crouser in 2021.

Rajindra Campbell of Jamaica edged Mexico’s Uziel Munoz by a 71-2 (21.69m) to 71-1.50 (21.68m) margin to secure second.

Andersen and Otterdahl were two of the six American athletes who triumphed in throwing events Saturday, with U.S. competitors adding another three combined victories in the high jump and pole vault.

Following three consecutive victories in Tucson in the men’s hammer throw by American rival Rudy Winkler, Daniel Haugh prevailed Saturday with an opening-round effort of 259-2 (79.01m).

Denzel Comenentia was credited with the Dutch record at 255-1 (77.75m) from his third-round performance, although the former NCAA Division 1 champion at Georgia did produce a 255-11 (78.01m) to take third at the meet last year.

Complications surrounding the availability of a post-competition drug testing opportunity prevented Comenentia’s mark from last year being ratified by Dutch officials.

Winkler, who won last year with a 265-4 (80.88m) effort, took third Saturday with a throw of 252-3 (76.89m).

Danniel Thomas-Dodd of Jamaica, who won the women’s shot put in Tucson in 2022,  achieved an opening-round mark of 61-11 (18.87m) to triumph again after finishing fourth last year.

Adelaide Aquilla was the top American performer with a fourth-round mark of 60-7.25 (18.47m) and Jessica Ramsey placed third at 60-2 (18.34m).

Maggie Malone-Hardin won for the second year in a row in the women’s javelin competition, producing a throw of 197-5 (60.17m) in the second round after returning to the U.S. following a recent Diamond League event in China.

Alizee Minard, a former All-American at Arizona State representing France, delivered the top four throws of her career in the same series, highlighted by a fifth-round effort of 192-6 (58.68m).

Madison Wiltrout was third at 189-6 (57.78m), with Texas A&M standout Lianna Davidson of Australia placing fourth with a throw of 186 feet (56.71m) in her final tuneup before the Southeastern Conference Championships in Gainesville, Fla.

Cameron McEntyre, another Australian standout, won the men’s javelin competition with a fifth-round performance of 267-7 (81.56m) in his first appearance in the United States since 2022.

Sindri Gudmundsson of Iceland was runner-up following his final-round effort of 266-5 (81.21m), with Georgia star Marc Anthony Minichello also taking advantage of the elite global field in preparation for the SEC meet in Florida, taking third at 266-4 (81.19m).

Gabi Jacobs achieved the lone 60-meter throw in the women’s discus competition, securing victory with a fifth-round mark of 202-9 (61.80m), the second-best performance of her career.

Chioma Onyekwere of Nigeria was second, holding off American athlete Elena Bruckner by a 194-7 (59.31m) to 194-5 (59.26m) margin.

Joseph Brown achieved a remarkable double by winning earlier Saturday at the Tucson Elite Classic with a mark of 208-4 (63.50m), then returning to compete at the USATF Throws Festival and emerging victorious again with a first-round effort of 211-10 (64.57m).

Fellow American competitor Reggie Jagers III finished second at 210-9 (64.25m), with Jamaican standout Fedrick Dacres taking third with a throw of 210-2 (64.07m).

Clayton Fritsch achieved one of the biggest highlights of the meet in the non-throwing events, matching his lifetime-best clearance to produce a stadium record in the men’s pole vault with a 19-1 (5.82m) performance on his second try.

Chris Nilsen had cleared 19-0.25 (5.80m) in 2022 for the first 19-foot performance in the history of Drachman Stadium.

Rachel Baxter, a former NCAA Division 1 indoor champion at Virginia Tech, cleared 14-9 (4.50m) on the third attempt in her first outdoor meet of the year to triumph in the women’s pole vault.

Vashti Cunningham cleared 6-2.75 (1.90m) on her second opportunity in the women’s high jump, with training partner and fellow American athlete Zarriea Willis securing second by clearing 6-1.50 (1.87m).

Former college rivals Tejaswin Shankar of India, Earnie Sears from the U.S. and Roberto Vilches of Mexico all cleared 7-3.75 (2.23m) in the men’s high jump. Shankar, a former NCAA champion at Kansas State, achieved the winning height on his first try, USC graduate Sears was successful on his second opportunity and former Missouri star Vilches needed three attempts to extend the competition.