Dana Pounds took what she called a leap of faith from basketball to track and field four years ago at the Air Force Academy – a leap that could lead to a second NCAA javelin title.
Pounds is competing today in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Austin, Texas, a meet she won last year. She hopes to advance to the NCAA Championships June 7-10 in Sacramento, Calif.
“I played basketball my freshman year, but I wasn’t having much fun,” Pounds said. “I moved to track and field at the beginning of my sophomore year.”
Pounds threw the discus and shot put in high school in Lexington, Ky., and Florida but never tried the javelin. Air Force field events coach Scott Irving put the javelin in her hands, and the 5-foot-2 Pounds took over.
She won the NCAA title last year and warmed up for the championships this year with a throw of 195 feet, 8 inches at the Mountain West Conference Championships two weeks ago. The mark equals the longest throw for a woman in collegiate competition.
“The 195-8 probably would win the NCAA title, but you have to throw it at the meet when it counts,” Pounds said.
Pounds noted the javelin isn’t a popular event among American athletes, possibly because it isn’t offered in most states at the high school level.
Regardless of the outcome today, Pounds will be throwing the javelin in the future. After graduation next week, Pounds will go into the World Class Athlete program and begin training for the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
