COLUMBIA — Former Fatima tack athlete Easton Haslag entered the 2025-26 track and field season with a simple goal.

After qualifying for the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships as a freshman and finishing 21st in the javelin, Haslag wanted to return to the national stage and prove he belonged among the country’s best collegiate throwers.

One year later, he did exactly that.

Competing at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships in Asheville, N.C., Haslag earned a 13th-place finish in the javelin, improving eight spots from his freshman season and capping another successful year at Columbia College.

“That was one of the biggest things I wanted to do, make it back to nationals again, place higher, and just improve in javelin” Haslag said. “I’d say I accomplished it.”

The accomplishment represented the latest step in a collegiate journey that required significant adjustments from the moment he arrived on campus.

“It was definitely a huge adjustment going from a high school team to a college team,” Haslag said. “Once you get to Columbia College, and once you get on campus, track becomes your life. It’s lifting, it’s working out, it’s eating right. Everything that you do is centered around track.”

Unlike many of his teammates, Haslag arrived as the program’s primary javelin specialist.

“When I first got there, I was really the only javelin thrower on the team,” he said. “I knew I had some big shoes to fill for my coach.”

Rather than becoming overwhelmed by the responsibility, Haslag embraced the challenge.

By listening to his coaches, maintaining consistency in the weight room and committing himself to improvement, he steadily elevated his performance throughout his first two collegiate seasons.

One of the biggest differences came during the offseason.

Haslag admitted strength training wasn’t a major focus during his high school career. Once he arrived at Columbia College, that changed.

“The biggest thing for me was lifting,” he said. “I didn’t lift a lot in high school whenever I threw. This last summer I spent a lot of time in the weight room trying to get stronger and trying to get faster.”

The work paid dividends. “I feel just putting on a couple extra pounds has helped me a lot, especially arm and leg strength,” Haslag said. “Being able to get down the runway quicker and just having more confidence in my throw.”

The confidence became evident throughout the season, culminating in a breakthrough performance at the American Midwest Conference Championships.

Entering his final throw of the regular season, Haslag was coming off his poorest attempt of the day.

Moments later, he produced the best throw of his career.

“That meet was my best and worst throw day,” Haslag said. “I had thrown 52 meters the throw before that, and I was just talking to my coach, trying to look over some things, and I went out there and threw 63.27.”

The throw not only established a broke the school outdoor record and won the AMC javelin title, but dramatically improved his positioning heading into nationals.

Haslag threw well enough to earn a spot on the final flight as he entered the event ranked eighth. “If you’re in that final flight, you can kind of look through where everybody’s placed, and what you need to throw to get to the finals, so I would say it’s a huge advantage to be in that last flight,” he said. “It was a huge capstone for me. I was really, really happy with how it turned out.”

At the national meet, however, rankings and seedings only go so far. Athletes still have to perform.

Haslag understood the challenge awaiting him in Asheville, N.C. “It’s the biggest meet of the year,” he said. “Nerves are going to be at an all-time high. You’re competing against the best in the nation.”

At the same time, he welcomed the opportunity.

“I was very nervous going into it, but excited because I get to compete against these people,” Haslag said. “I get to try to do my best.”

The national championship experience also provided opportunities to learn from some of the country’s elite throwers. “It’s kind of cool to just chat amongst the people, especially at nationals,” Haslag said.

One of his favorite aspects of track and field is the willingness of competitors to share ideas and learn from one another. “Everybody’s kind of got their own ideas and their own thoughts about how to throw and what workouts to do,” he said. “You get to talk to those guys and just see what their day-to-day life is, and see the things they do that go right and wrong for them. I’ve used that to kind of help with my throwing, and to help myself become better.”

In addition to throwing the javelin, Haslag competes in the indoor short sprints, with career-bests in the 60m (7.36), 100m (11.50), and 200m (23.43) events.

“My coach puts me in those events to help me stay in shape for the javelin,” said Haslag.

While athletics occupy a significant portion of his schedule, Haslag has continued to excel academically and remain involved in campus activities.

He maintained a 4.0 grade-point average through his sophomore year while pursuing two majors after beginning his collegiate study in business administration.

“I’m studying marketing now as well, just add a little bit more for when I graduate” said Haslag, whose activities extend well beyond the track.

Haslag participates in DECA, recently earning a top-15 finish nationally in sports marketing alongside teammate Brenin Howell. He is also preparing to compete at a national FBLA event, serves as vice president of Columbia College’s disc golf club and tutors accounting and statistics through the college’s TRIO student support services program.

“Finding that balance between track and school is the best combination for me,” Haslag said. “I split it in half so I’m not too focused on one more than the other.”

The best part may be that he is enjoying his time in Columbia. “One of the best parts of my college experience has been the connections I’ve made with my track teammates. It has really felt like a family for me,” said Haslag. “We will watch NBA games, play game nights or play pickleball as a team. I really cherish having these connections because I know they will be lifelong friendships.”

Despite his growing success at the collegiate level, Haslag remains closely connected to home.

With Columbia located only a short drive from Osage County, family support continues to play a major role in his success.

“I’m very blessed that they love to watch me throw,” Haslag said of his parents. “They went to the majority of my meets this year. They even went to the national meet down in North Carolina.”

That support has helped fuel a collegiate career that continues to trend upward.

For Haslag, however, the most encouraging part may be knowing that significant room for growth remains.

A year after finishing 21st in the nation, he climbed to 13th.

If the last two seasons are any indication, he has no intention of stopping there.