Okwelogu Bests Own Ivy League Record in Shot Put

The frigid air and heavy snow kept many inside on Saturday, but the weekend storm was no match for the ice running through the veins of sophomore track athlete Nikki Okwelogu.

The second-year standout broke her own Ivy League record in the shot put en route to a first-place finish at the annual Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet. The record-breaking throw traveled 16.51 meters and helped the Crimson squad to a second-place finish overall.

The sophomore defeated runner-up Karleh Wilson of Yale by nearly two full meters. In fact, all of her six attempts in the event were better than the Bulldog by at least .78 meters.

Okwelogu is familiar with breaking records in the event. She first set the Ivy League mark the previous weekend with a 16.39 meter mark at the Crimson Elite Meet, besting the previous record by .08 meters. The sophomore is also the Harvard record holder in the outdoor shot put, claiming the top spot with a throw of 16.05 meters.

For Okwelogu, performances like this have been the norm rather than the exception, as she has still yet to be beaten by another collegiate athlete in the shot put event all season. In her mind, preparation makes all the difference in the world.

“I’m definitely working way harder than I did last year,” Okwelogu said. “I’m excited to see all the hard work I did this season and pre-season paying off.”

As the outdoor season approaches, Okwelogu also plans to compete in the discus event in addition to the shot put. The sophomore holds the Ivy League record in the discus after throwing a 53.31 meter toss at the Nigerian National Championships this past summer.

Although her future is certainly bright, Okwelogu still has the rest of this season to keep striving. The Crimson athlete hopes to help the women’s team defend its Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor title by taking home the victory in the shot put.

After just missing out on a trip to NCAA Nationals her rookie campaign, the sophomore hopes to establish herself as one of the top athletes in the nation and book a trip to Fayetteville, Ark.

“They take 16 to Nationals and right now I’m ranked 14th [or] 15th,” Okwelogu said. “I’m very close to that, and hopefully I can get another mark that will… make sure I can go because I think that will be a great meet to be a part of.”

Okwelogu’s success is not just limited to the collegiate level, as the sophomore has gained experience on the international scene as well.

The Fresno, Calif., native was a member of the Nigerian track team prior to her arrival at Harvard and was ranked in the top five in the U.S. in both shot put and discus her senior year of high school.

This past summer, Okwelogu established herself on the Nigerian team by winning the Nigerian National Championships in the shot put and receiving runner-up accolades in the same event at the African Championships.

The second-year athlete was also a finalist at the World Junior Championships and a participant at the prestigious Commonwealth Games, a competition consisting mostly of former British territories.

Moving forward, Okwelogu is focused on doing the little things to make sure her game is as strong as possible prior to playoff competition.

“Everyday I come to practice trying to fix my technique,” Okwelogu said. “I’ve held myself more accountable by doing core on the side or eating better, showing up to practice 30 minutes early and getting a good warm-up in.”

The determination and success of the sophomore has impressed those around her, as she continues to improve meet after meet.

Head coach Jason Saretsky has been very impressed with Okwelogu’s consistency and is excited about what her youth means for the future.

“One of the best parts with Nikki specifically [is that] she’s only a sophomore,” Saretsky said. “I think that we’re still only scratching the surface, and there’s a lot more still to come.”