May 14, 2008
ST. LOUIS -
Heading into the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships Illinois State senior Anton Walczak was named MVC Field Athlete of the Week, as announced by the league office this afternoon. Over the past weekend, Walczack sharpened his performance in the hammer throw, as he exceeded his personal-best and earned his third regional qualifying mark with a distance of 197 feet, one inch for a third-place finish at the Billy Hayes Invitational May 9. Walczak currently holds The Valley's second best throw and is 21st in the Mideast Region standings.
Illinois State assistant track and field coach/throws Jeff Chakouian, has been working closely with Walczak and is happy to see that his hard work is paying off.
"Anton has been throwing really well," said Chakouian. "He had a big throw at the beginning of the year and then towards the middle he was running into some rough times, but we were lifting really hard and training well. Right now his training is going awesome. Every week he has been building on what he has done previously. Today he had the best practice of his life and we are just looking forward to watching him give his best effort going into the conference meet and see what can happen."
This is Walczack's first Valley Field Athlete of the Week honor. Last year the Cary, Ill., native placed fifth in the hammer at the conference championships with a throw of 174-09. This year he is looking to cap off his senior year with an even stronger performance.
"It is definitely a confidence booster," said Walczack. "I never would have thought that after high school that I would be throwing at the Division I college level, I would not have believed it. I have come a long way since then. There are a lot of great athletes in our conference and to gain this award at this point of the season is a pretty big deal."
The Redbirds take to the 2008 Valley Outdoor Track & Field Championship, May 16-18 at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Ill., on the campus of Southern Illinois University. Events are scheduled to get underway at noon Friday.
