WAVERLY, IOWA – It has been quite the career for Alyssa Besch (Apple Valley, Minn. / Eastview) at St. Catherine University. In just two short years with the program, Besch established herself as one of the best throwers in St. Kate’s history. Over the weekend, the senior cemented her place in the record book with her performance at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Besch took sixth in javelin throw at the national meet to earn All-America honors for the first time in the last meet of her career. For her performance, Besch has been named Wildcat Athlete of the Week.
Besch put together the performance of a lifetime in the final meet of her career as a Wildcat. The senior was the fourteenth seed coming into the competition after having the No. 15 ranked throw in the nation at the distance of 41.37 meters. On her very first throw of the competition, Besch bested that mark by over two meters. She threw 43.49 meters on her opening throw of the championship to set a personal record (PR) in the final meet of her career.
Besch won her heat with the throw of 43.49 meters and was one of nine throwers to qualify for the final round at the conclusion of the second head. Her opening throw would prove to be her farthest of the day, and Besch finished the day in sixth place.
As one of the top eight finishers in the competition, Besch earned All-America honors for the first time in her career in any sport. The senior, whose time with the Wildcats officially concluded at the NCAA tournament, was a dual sport athlete during her time at St. Kate's, playing volleyball in the fall while participating in track and field the past two springs. Before she joined the squad in 2014, Besch was a member of the Wildcat softball team her first and second years.
