AUSTIN, Texas - Two days after finishing as the NCAA Runner-Up in the hammer throw, Erin Reese concluded her stay in Texas with a Second Team All-American honor in the discus throw on Saturday evening.
 
The Sycamore women finish ranked 32nd in the nation with the eight points earned in the hammer throw on Thursday, the highest rated team in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
"Erin and Cassaundra [Roper] came into the NCAA Championships with great mindsets," Head Coach Angela Martin said. "Both women finished higher than their seed marks and showed why they deserved to be at this meet. Erin's second place finish in the hammer helped our team finish 32nd overall and I am proud of them and thankful for the efforts of the two great seniors and Coach Bettenhausen. It's exciting to go home and be able to hang up three more All-American plaques on our wall."
 
Saturday marked the hottest day of the championships with a heat index reaching upwards of 106 degrees. The temperature, paired with no wind, made for scorching conditions on the track and in the field, but that didn't stop Reese from battling for an All-American spot. Reese opened with a toss of 53.51m (184-02) which was ninth through the first round of throws in both heats. That would end up being her best toss and that mark would hold on for a 16th place finish to give her Second Team All-American honors, her second All-American honor of the weekend. She ends as one of the best Sycamore discus throwers in Indiana State history, owning the school record toss of 56.45m (185-02) and finishing as the first Sycamore All-American in the discus since Mary Theisen in 2014.
 
With the conclusion of the discus throw, Reese's prolific career at Indiana State has come to an end. Transferring to ISU from Dayton, the redshirt senior spent two seasons with the Sycamores and established herself as one of the best throwers in program history. Throughout the two seasons she was an NCAA Runner-Up, First Team All-American, Second Team All-American, two-time NCAA East Region Preliminary Round qualifier, five-time Missouri Valley Conference Champion and she scored in every event she competed in at all of her MVC Championships.
 
She saved her best season for last, as she finished as the NCAA Runner-Up in the hammer throw on Thursday with the 15th-best collegiate mark in history of 71.06m (233-02), making her the ninth-best hammer thrower in collegiate history. She is also currently eighth in the United States of America and holds the 21st-best mark in the world right now.
 
Earlier this outdoor season Reese qualified for the East Regional in all three circle throw events and was just one of four women to accomplish that feat. At the MVC Outdoor Championships, she also threw her way to Valley titles in the hammer throw and discus throws, giving her the MVC Female Most Outstanding Field Athlete honor. She also finished sixth in the shot put at the championships as well.
 
Reese earned First Team All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships this season as well. After qualifying for the indoor championships in the weight throw, the Mt. Prospect, Ill., native rose to the occasion and placed fourth behind a school record mark of 22.34m (73-03.50). Two weeks before the NCAA Championships, Reese claimed her second consecutive MVC weight throw crown en route to winning the MVC Female Most Outstanding Field Athlete honor.
 
In total, the All-American won the MVC Female Most Outstanding Field Athlete honor at every Valley championship she competed at. She also walks away the school record holder in the discus throw, hammer throw and weight throw, as well as owning the eighth-best indoor and outdoor shot put marks in school history.
 
"Cassaundra and Erin are two of the most special athletes I've ever had the privilege to coach. Their work ethic and determination are unparalleled, and this weekend their efforts were rewarded. I couldn't be happier to be a small part of their journeys," Assistant Coach Brandan Bettenhausen said.
 
The 2019 season isn't over yet, however, as Reese will compete in the hammer throw USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships from July 25-28 in Des Moines, Iowa.
 
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.