In mid-May 2007, Minnesota senior Adam Schnaible was the surprise Big 10 hammer throw champion with a throw of 64.10 meters (210-04). However that throw didn't give Schnaible the honor of being the top thrower in the area. Just days later, a thrower named Kevin Becker threw 65.61 meters (215-3) in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, Becker and Schnaible didn't get a chance to face off at the Big 10 meet. Becker's school, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, is not a member of the Big 10. Wisconsin-Lacrosse doesn't even compete in the NCAA's Division I. Instead, the school competes in Division III and is a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where Becker dominated the league and won the conference title by nearly 10 meters. Competing for La Crosse may have prevented Becker from winning bigger titles, but it is where he felt at home. Looking back on it, Becker says "I would have loved to compete in a Division I national meet, but for me it was more important to be at a school I liked with a coach I already knew and trusted."

Becker's story is all too familiar in the world of hammer throwing. He was an average shot putter and discus thrower at Mayo High School in Rochester, Minnesota, but not a single college track team recruited him. After football coaches at nearby La Crosse contacted him, he continued his athlete career there. Unbeknownst to him, Wisconsin-Lacrosse is a Division III track and field powerhouse. Come springtime, he approached throws coach Dennis Kline about joining the team and was quickly introduced to the hammer throw. Becker took quickly to the new event and produced a throw of 61.92m as a redshirt freshman. By the time he threw 65.61 meters as a senior, he had won three national championships, collected five All-American honors, and set an NCAA Division III indoor weight throw record.

One of Becker's teammates on the La Crosse team also jumped onto the national scene just as Becker was beginning to make headlines. In 2004, teammate Andrew Rock followed up a Division III national title with a sixth place finish at the Olympic Trials. In subsequent years as a pro, Rock became a household name with track fans by becoming the US champion and winning the silver medal at the 2005 World Championships. Becker also improved after he graduated, but as is the case with every hammer thrower, he has yet to become a household name. Since graduating in 2007, Becker increased his personal best to 68.55m and competed at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Off the track, he recently began work towards a master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Illinois State University.

 

The decision to continue to train after college was an easy on for Becker. Becker never threw the hammer in high school and split his time between football and track during his first three years of college. "After college I knew I still had a lot of room to improve in terms of technique," Becker says. "I had glimpses of great things in college, particularly after some great training throws with light hammers, but I didn’t have enough throws under my belt to consistently perform at a high level." Becker started off coaching himself and training alone while he worked as a substitute teacher. His main focus has been to increase his hammer-specific strength and improve his technique. He's made progress in both areas and emerged onto the national post-collegiate scene.

This season, Becker feels he has a better system in place that will get him the results he wants. Since becoming a student again, he has been working with Illinois State coach Erik Whitsitt. While Becker continues to write his own training program, Whitsitt provides a watchful eye at practice, something that Becker hasn't had since college. As Becker notes, "I forgot how helpful it is to have a set of eyes watching when you throw." In his first meet of the season last month, Becker threw a new personal best of 21.66m (71-1) (click to watch) in the weight throw at the Illinois State Redbird Open. But Becker's main focus is still the hammer throw. He says he's training hard and looking forward the outdoor season. "When the warm weather comes around hopefully I’ll reap the benefits."

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