Columbia College freshman Easton Haslag of Loose Creek capped his stellar outdoor track season with a javelin throw of 52.37m on May 21-23 to finish 21st at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)  National Outdoor Track Championships in Marion, Ind.

Haslag credits his coaches and a lot of hard work for earning a berth at the national tournament. “Working with my college coach, and some coaching on the side, I think that really elevated what I was able to do,” he said, adding that he practically lived in the gym. “I mentally prepared for every meet to try to better myself.”

He had a great career at Fatima, including a state appearance in his senior year and holding the school record of 50.23m. 

This year, as a college freshman, Haslag’s only goal was to improve, and he did.

He qualified for Nationals on May 8 at the Missouri State Twilight Meet in Springfield by posting a first-place throw of 59.25m, which shattered the Columbia College record (54.59m) set in 2017 by Josh Jenkins.

The difference between a school-record throw and the big stage at Marion was mental. “I think just being a nationalist for the first time was very nerve-wracking for me, but it wasn’t a great day out on the track,” said Haslag. “The day I threw at Nationals was pretty windy and rainy, but I think a lot of it was just being nervous for the meet. I’ve been through it now, so I know what to expect next year.”

Haslag also claimed the top spot on the podium at the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Outdoor Championships on May 1 in Edwardsville, Ill., with a throw of 53.81m.

From mid-December, when he competed indoors, Haslag was determined to show progress. He ran the 60m and 200m sprints to maintain his speed and continued to hit the weights.

As the outdoor season approached, he set his plan in motion. “I talked with my coach about my goal of improving my throwing distance, so at the beginning of the year, there was a lot of strength and technical work,” said Haslag. “As the year progressed, we added more speed and technique, and I could see my results getting better, as we hoped, to where I was kind of peaking near the end.”

Haslag started the outdoor season throwing in the mid-45m to 48m range. “Every single meet I threw it just a few meters further, and just tried to keep stepping up each time,” he explained.

After a throw of 45.82m at the CMU Open on March 15 for sixth place, Haslag claimed second at the Lincoln University Open on April 5 with a throw of 49.45m. From there, his throw of 48.12m was good for 16th at the University of Central Missouri Mule Relays on April 11, followed by a win at the Culver Stockton Wildcat Open a week later (48.60m). That set the stage for the AMC championships, Twilight, and then the national meet.

In addition to utilizing insights from his Columbia College coach, Haslag sought additional tutelage from a private coach, Reinhard Van Zyl, of Boonville. “I enjoyed working with him,” said Haslag. “We worked mostly on technique and ways to improve.”  Haslag is already looking forward to and preparing for next season.

Haslag not only had success on the track but also excelled in the classroom. He maintained a 4.0 GPA in his Business Administration coursework to earn a spot on the Dean’s list both semesters.  Haslag also earned top honors with the state competition and qualified for nationals with the collegiate affiliation of DECA, Inc., formerly known as Distributive Education Clubs of America. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.