AUSTIN, Texas - In a day dominated by lightning delays and humidity, Erin Reese and Cassaundra Roper didn't shy away from the elements and walked away an NCAA runner-up and Second Team All-American on Thursday of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
"We have a great history of women throwers at the NCAA Championships," Head Coach Angela Martin said. "Coach Bettenhausen did a great job preparing Erin and Cassaundra for this meet and I couldn't be more proud of all of them. Erin competed with grace after a rough start and had an incredible hammer performance. Both women moved up in the rankings and thanks to them we will add two more All-American awards to our wall."
 
The women's hammer throw competition was a battle from beginning to end, and it was a battle that Reese didn't back down from. After fouling her first throw Reese recorded a toss of 59.64m (195-08) which only sat in 19th through two round. Then on her final chance to make finals she unleased a three meter personal-best throw of 68.36m (224-03) which also reset her own school record.
 
Her final mark of prelims would ignite a fire in the redshirt senior in the final round, as she earned a new personal-best mark on each of the finals three throws. Toss number four landed at 69.65m (228-06) which was followed by an even better mark of 70.46m (231-02). Reese saved the best throw of her career in the hammer for her last as a Sycamore, letting loose a bomb of 71.06m (233-02) to be named the NCAA Runner-Up.
 
Taking a look at the numbers post-performance, the Mt. Prospect, Ill., native walks away the school record holder in the hammer throw, second in the NCAA, is currently eighth in the United States of American and holds the 21st-best mark in the world right now. She also earned the blue and white eight points, which at the time of publishing put Indiana State into a tie for fifth place at the championships.
 
Reese (and later Roper) became the first All-Americans on the women's side since Alethia Marrero and Katie Wise in 2015, and Reese also earned the highest finish in the women's hammer throw in school history, overtaking Jenny Folz who finished 11th in 1999.
 
At the conclusion of the hammer throw, it was Roper's turn to take the circle for the Trees, this time in the shot put. On her first throw of the shot put, Roper recorded a strong opener of 15.45m (50-08.25) and then improved on her second throw to break over the 16-meter barrier at 16.02m (52-06.75) which sat in 17th through two rounds, just outside of All-American honors. Needing one more improvement, Roper delivered a toss of 16.17m (53-00.75) to push her up one spot, giving her Second Team All-American honors with a 16th place finish.
 
Thursday's performance marked the end of Roper's incredible career at Indiana State. She saved her best season for last, as evidenced by her appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Aside from that, she also earned her third appearance at the NCAA East Regional Preliminary where she placed eighth in the region with a mark of 16.34m (53-07.50).
 
Earlier this outdoor season the redshirt senior earned All-MVC honors at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championships by placing third in the shot put, as well as earning a crucial point in the discus throw with an eighth place performance and a personal-best mark of 45.49m (149-03). At the Crimson Tide Invitational, Roper had a career day in both the hammer throw and shot put. In the hammer throw she unleashed the sixth-best mark in school history of 57.94m (190-01) and followed that performance up with an impressive mark of 16.44m (53-11.25), which is fourth in ISU history trailing only Sycamore legends Mary Theisen, Christy Barrett and Felisha Johnson.
 
During the indoor season Roper captured the shot put title at the Valley Indoor Championships, recording the fourth-best indoor mark of 16.35m (53-07.75) which also only trails the three Sycamore standouts mentioned above in the record book. She also placed fourth in the weight throw while recording the fifth-farthest mark in school history of 20.28m (66-06.50).
 
At the conclusion of her career wearing the blue and white, Roper has captured three MVC shot put titles, has earned an additional three All-MVC honors and has been an MVC scorer nine more times in the circle throws. These honors go along with an appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and three appearances at the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round. The Indianapolis, Ind., native also took care of business off the field, as she was named an MVC Scholar-Athlete twice and was a United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic honoree in 2018.
 
The Trees aren't done competing at the championships, however, as Erin Reese will make an appearance in the discus throw on Saturday evening at 6:05 p.m. ET.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.