STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State’s senior thrower Tayler Wessely was named the WAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after setting a school record and winning the individual title at the ACU Wes Kittley Invitational, the conference office announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Wessely was selected for her second WAC Weekly Award after earning the honor for the first time in her Texan career last season on April 23rd. She was one of four Texan women to earn a WAC Weekly honor last year. The Parkersburg, Iowa, native, becomes the first Texan on both the men’s and women’s side to earn the outdoor recognition this year in the first week of the outdoor season.
The senior started off her outdoor season strongly with a first-place performance in the hammer throw at the ACU Wes Kittley Invitational. Not only did she win the title with a best throw of 61.45 meters, but she also shattered her school record (54.57 meters) she set last season. In her first outdoor meet, all five of the senior’s marks were farther than her old school record. Her worst throw on the day was 56.57 meters, a whole two-meter improvement from last year. She also notched a pair of tosses further than 60 meters. Her best throw came out on her fifth attempt with a best toss of 61.45 meters. Wessely won by almost eight meters, with second place finishing at 53.60 meters.
With her best throw of 61.45 meters, Wessely ranks seventh in the NCAA West region. The top 48 athletes best throws after the conference championships will earn a berth to the NCAA West preliminary rounds. Each thrower will get three tosses, with the top 12 throws at that meet earning a spot at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. at Hayward Field on June 10-13. Additionally, she ranks 13th in all of the NCAA this season.
During the indoor slate, Wessely was named the Women’s Co-Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet at the WAC Championships. She earned gold in the weight throw wist a best toss of 19.53 meters to break her own school record. She followed up her gold medal performance with a bronze medal in the shot put. She placed third with a best toss of 14.12 meters, right behind her teammate Lucy George who is the new school record holder in the shot put with a toss of 14.36 meters. Wessely was the back-to-back champion in the weight throw winning the competition in each of her final two years as a Texan. She became the eight female thrower in WAC history to win the weight throw in back-to-back seasons.
In her debut season with the Texans last year, Wessely took home a pair of silver medals at her first outdoor championships. The junior transfer at the time posted best tosses of 14.08 meters in the shot put and 54.57 meters in the hammer throw to place second on the podium in both.
Tarleton State will be back in action on Friday and Saturday at the Clyde Hart Invitational hosted by Baylor.
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