By Abigail Winn
Whenever shot putter Maggie Ewen’s name pops up on caller ID after a meet, her parents know something good’s happened. “Before the meet,” she said, “they’re like, ‘Hope to get that phone call!’”
Any phone call Saturday night was a good one. Though she wasn’t happy with her performance overall, the Arizona State University junior threw 56 feet, 4 1/2 inches on the first throw of the first flight and never lost the lead, securing the title.
“I’m just glad the first one went really well,” Ewen said. “Mine didn’t really come together as much as I’d like to.”
Ewen finished about 2.5 feet ahead of second-place finisher Ashlie Blake’s 54’-8 3/4 for UCLA. Third-place Lena Giger threw 54’-1 3/4 for Stanford.
Ewen has been climbing the ranks since high school, where she was a three-time state champion in the shot put. She began competing in the Pac-12s in 2015, when she took sixth place. In 2016 she took fourth.
She set her personal record of 57’-7 3/4 at this year’s Triton Invitational and entered this year’s Pac-12 championship with the top seed marks in three throwing events.
Her success isn’t a surprise — throwing is in Ewen’s blood. Her father Bruce was an All-American thrower, seven-time Missouri Valley Conference champion and competed in the 1988 Olympic trials. He also coached her while she attended St. Francis High School in Minnesota.
Regardless of his past, Ewen says her father is her No. 1 fan and has not tried to be her coach since she graduated high school. “He said, ‘I’m no longer part of your throwing. I’m not gonna tell you what to do anymore. I’ll be your biggest supporter,’” she said.
In terms of her goals for the rest of the season, Ewen is keeping it simple: throwing farther. “I know it’s a really generic one, but it’s all I can ask for,” she said. “I hope to keep improving and just keep seeing some success.”
Ewen will compete tomorrow in the Pac-12 women’s hammer throw and discus events.
