Most college athletes, no matter what sport they play, share one common dream: to win a national championship. There is, though, a rare breed that aim even higher — junior discus thrower Josh Syrotchen is one of them.
When Syrotchen ripped off a 198 feet, 8 inch throw two weekends ago in the Harding Invitational, he not only crushed his own school record and claimed the best throw in NCAA DII this season, but he also took a big step towards his ultimate goal for 2016: qualifying for the Olympic Trials this summer.
“It’s my junior year, so the national championship isn’t sitting as heavy on me as the Olympic Trials, since they only happen every four years,” Syrotchen said. “So, for me, with my head aimed at the trials, the right mindset for the national championship just comes along with it.”
Syrotchen’s throw of 198 feet, eight inches is the longest throw in DII this year by 15 feet, the 8th longest in the NCAA all divisions, 18th in the U.S. and 36th in the world for 2016. While Syrotchen’s feats are astounding, it is safe to say that not many DII schools can claim a world-class thrower. This begs the question, what brought Syrotchen to Harding in the first place?
“The University of Washington wanted me to walk-on for football and throw for track, so junior year (of high school) my plan was to go to Washington State or the University of Washington, but then I met Tori – my wife – on a cruise ship, and that’s why I picked Harding,” Syrotchen said. “She was going to come here either way, so at that point, when I heard she was coming to Harding, I sent an email out to the football coach and track coach and just told them I wanted to come visit.”
Syrotchen followed Tori to Harding and accepted a football scholarship while walking-on to the track team in the fall of 2012. But after injuries riddled his first two seasons on the gridiron, he realized it was time to focus on discus alone.
Harding throws coach Meghan Kessler, who threw at Purdue University before transferring to Harding in 2012 and later becoming an assistant coach for the Bisons, said that decision was one of the most difficult Syrotchen had to make on the road to his success.
“I’ll never forget the practice we had the day that he quit football,” Kessler said. “Because it was his worst practice ever. We just sat there and talked about it the entire time.”
Despite letting go of a sport he loved, Syrotchen showed natural ability in the circle right off of the bat.
“His first year he threw 10 feet under his (personal record) from high school, which is pretty ridiculous after taking a year and a half off and increasing your weight and your implement,” Kessler said. “At that point I was like, ‘OK, we need to take this seriously.'”
After finishing 4th at nationals in 2014 and 3rd in 2015, Syrotchen has taken his abilities to a new level in his junior year. He packed on 20 pounds of muscle and added 120 pounds to his bench press in the offseason, and has subsequently increased his distance by nearly 20 feet. His strides physically, though, do not come close to comparing with the strides he has made mentally in trusting Kessler’s coaching.
“Trusting (Kessler) was key,” Syrotchen said. “I used to come out to practice and question what I was doing, so I wasn’t focusing and putting full effort into actually getting better. Instead, I was wondering if what she said was legitimate and was going to actually make me better.”
Another key for Syrotchen this season has been his now-wife, Tori, who got him to Harding in the first place. She said getting to experience his success and preparation firsthand the past few months has been exhilarating.
“The meet after he threw his 198, he was just studying his good throws and his bad throws, and I think that’s part of his success because he studies his craft and he wants to be better at it,” Tori said. “I told him that night that when he threw that 198, it felt like I threw that 198 – I was that excited for him.”
Syrotchen’s craft could very well carry him to his goal of qualifying for the Olympic Trials in July. The top 24 throwers in the country go to the trials, and Syrotchen currently sits at 18th. However, he still has a chance to qualify automatically by hitting a distance of 62 meters on a throw in his next four meets. That distance is only five feet further than his throw at the Harding Invitational and something both he and Kessler feel is within his reach. One thing is certain, though, in Syrotchen’s case: Harding — while perhaps an unconventional choice — has proved to be the right one in more ways than simply track and field.
“When we defend (Syrotchen’s choice to come to Harding), the proof is in the pudding,” Kessler said. “It’s right there. This is why he’s here. God brought us here together. He brought Josh here for his wife, I had to transfer here, and we are here together for a reason — and for some reason, it is working.”
