The Pinnacle of the Season

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Emma Robbins has redemption on her mind this week as the standout Kansas State hammer thrower prepares to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which runs Wednesday through Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.

"It's a year of buildup to this point," she says.

Robbins placed 15^th in the NCAA West Preliminary last season with a distance of 62.42 meters, so she was unable to advance to the biggest stage in college athletics.

She's certainly has a chance to reach the podium this time around.

Robbins, a junior from Anaheim, California, punched her ticket to Austin on May 25 with a new personal-best throw of 68.18 meters (223 feet, 8 inches), which finished second in the NCAA West Preliminary and ranks No. 2 all-time in K-State history. It topped her previous high of 67.17 meters (220 feet, 4 inches) that she set at the 2021 SEC Championships while competing at LSU.

Although Robbins had consistently thrown in the 66-67 meter range most of this season, she stepped it up a notch when she needed to the most, setting her personal best in the NCAA West Preliminary at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.

And she took care of business on her very first throw.

"On my first throw, I was telling myself, 'Just throw what you know,'" she says. "It was crazy. It was a really relaxed throw. It was really exciting to see 68 pop up on the board finally. I've been throwing that in practice, so I was just waiting to put it together. I knew I had it in me for that moment."

Emma Robbins qualifies for the NCAA Championships with her runner up finish in the hammer throw

Robbins is no stranger to achieving impressive feats. As a freshman, she advanced to the Olympic Trials and captured the SEC Championship while at LSU.

Currently, she's one of the top 10 collegiate throwers in the nation.

"What I've learned most about myself this year is when I say I'm going to do something I do it," she says. "After last year, I knew I had to change some things, and I changed them. Now being able to look back at it, I feel like I put in the work. I've been able to actually accomplish it."

It's been quite a journey for Robbins, who opened eyes when she won the 2018 and 2019 California State Championship in the hammer throw — winning her first title after throwing for just six months.

Dozens of colleges from UCLA to Penn State to LSU to K-State to California recruited Robbins. Then-LSU throws coach Greg Watson wowed Robbins the most. As a sophomore, she set the LSU record with a toss of 67.17 meters (220 feet, 4 inches). She finished third in the NCAA East Preliminary, finished 14^th in the NCAA Championships, and earned Second Team All-America honors.

When Watson left LSU to return to K-State in July 2021, it was a no brainer: Robbins followed him to the Little Apple.

"We've been at two different schools now, and I know he trusts me and I trust him a lot," she says. "The biggest thing is trust. I put my 110% into everything he tells me to do. I'm confident in him and what he does, and he's confident in me and knows I'll get things done."

Robbins medaled in the hammer throw at the recent Big 12 Championships with a runner-up distance of 67.09 meters, her best of the season to that point.

"After the Big 12 Championship, I put my head down and continued to work hard because I wanted more," she says. "I always want more. My throws have been clicking more."

That she improved upon her career best by three whole feet in the West Preliminary? That's no small task.

"That's really difficult," she says.

Robbins will perform 24 practice throws on Monday and Wednesday during an abbreviated practice week leading to the NCAA Championships. In the best shape of her career, she'll wean off her lifting routine to save her strength for the ring in Austin, where she has experience throwing the hammer. She took third there in the Texas Relays on March 29.

Now she makes her return trip with an opportunity to put a stamp on her collegiate season.

"I'm just so excited," she says. "I'm trying to calm myself down but it's super exciting and practice is going really well right now, so I'm just excited to show people what I can do."

As we enter the summer months and the close of the 2022-23 athletics season, K-State Sports Extra will be published three days per week until August. Be on the lookout for our next story on Wednesday, June 7.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Emma Robbins

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