May 27, 2009
LAS VEGAS - UNLV freshman Amanda Bingson's first track and field season went from solid to spectacular in a span of three throws of the hammer at the 2009 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships two weeks ago.
The rookie reached a personal best on her first attempt and from there she just continued to gather momentum, eventually breaking the UNLV record in the hammer throw and finishing fifth overall with a distance of 181'-1.00". Bingson's incredible performance smashed the Rebel school record by nearly seven feet and it earned her a spot at the NCAA West Regional this weekend.
Considering this year is the first time she even picked up a hammer, and she simply wanted to get out of the throwing ring alive upon trying the event, Bingson's progress throughout this season is nothing short of remarkable.
"I was scared to be truthful," Bingson said of those first few weeks learning the new event. "I kept slipping and falling and always somehow managed to end up on the ground. I am getting it though, although it has been a hard transition."
She was introduced to the indoor weight throw and the hammer at the beginning of the season, and Bingson began to get a feel for the event, which basically involves twirling around in three-to-four circles while holding onto a four-foot wire that is connected to metal ball.
Sounds simple, doesn't it?
Bingson specialized in the discus in high school and one of the first things she needed to get used to was the fact that the throwing ring was smaller for the hammer than the discus, giving her less room. She also learned that proper technique was just as important, if not more, than shear strength, which she says isn't the case in the shot put.
Although it took time, Bingson has developed into one of the top freshman hammer throwers in the country, culminating with her record-setting performance at the MWC Outdoor Championships.
"Amanda has been a pleasant surprise this year," UNLV head coach Yvonne Scott-Williams said. "We recruited her as a discus thrower and now she is one of our conference's top hammer throwers. As a freshman who had little hammer experience before this year, that's amazing."
During her prep career at Silverado High School, Bingson was a four-year letterwinner and helped the Skyhawks to a pair of state championships and four regional titles. She was named the squad's thrower of the year all four years of her high school career, and was one of the top discus throwers in the state. Nevada high school athletes are only allowed to throw the discus and shot put, so when Bingson stepped on campus last fall for her rookie season with the Rebels, it was almost a given that her top event would be the discus.
But after competing in both events early on this season, something she will probably continue to do down the road, it has become clear that Bingson has a special knack for the hammer.
"She is really hard on herself at practice and it shows that she really wants to do well every time she steps in the ring," Scott-Williams said. "She is a game-time competitor and can put up good marks when it counts."
While it may not have been exactly what she envisioned, Bingson's rookie season has been very fulfilling for her, as she has become a building block in the rebuilding process of the Rebel track and field program. She is the first UNLV athlete to score points in the throwing events at the league championships as a freshman in several years and figures to play a key role for the Rebels throughout the rest of her career.
"I am happy to be a part of the rising of UNLV track and field," Bingson said. "It is nice to have team success as well as individual success."
Bingson and her Rebel teammates who qualified will be competing in the NCAA West Regional, which is being held at the University of Oregon at Heyward Field, on May 29-30. Bingson will then compete at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships, which will also be at Heyward Field at the University of Oregon on June 25-28.
