Virginia Miller hopes to follow her Pac-12 title by improving her PR and moving up on Stanford’s all-time list. Photo by Cierra Hitner
Stanford redshirt senior Virginia Miller won the Pac-12 women’s javelin title in one of her last meets in her college career, with her second throw of 178 feet, 6 inches.
Since Miller has only two meets left, she said this one was intensely meaningful.
“This meet is the culmination of the beginning of the end for me,” Miller said. “It’s my last go around, and it’s a big championship meet. It’s the accumulation of so many efforts over so many years.”
It was also important for Miller to get some reps in before NCAAs. She still needs to qualify but she has her “fingers crossed.”
Miller finished sixth in the Olympic trials last year. The Washington native grew up on a horse farm, and her dream school was Stanford. She was class president last year and in her Stanford presidency video, she mentioned how the activities she does inspire her both in the field and the classroom.
In her video, Miller said that javelin is a very unique sport. “You throw a long metal spear as far as you possibly can. A lot of people think it’s like purely strength-based, but that’s not the case,” she said. Miller says that there’s a ton of technique involved.
During Friday’s competition in the rain, Miller had “a lot more to think about” regarding technique: It took more concentration to manage a handle on the javelin. She also had to frequently put her jacket on so she wouldn’t get cold in between throws.
“It was a lot more than just throw and sit. It’s a little more to manage,” she said.
Miller said her past experience aided her in this instance, and she said the rain was challenging but fun. “It was great competition, and everyone was very excited to be back in the stadium here,” she said.
Miller also found herself with a lot of adrenaline at the beginning. “Managing that is always tricky because you need to be relaxed,” she said. Her first throw was at 171 feet, 11 inches and her second throw was her best of the day at 178 feet, 6 inches.
“I definitely felt like I could’ve had a PR,” she said. “But I got a little bit too tight on my last three times—didn’t quite hit the javelin all the way through.
Miller was glad her first two throws were strong since it allowed her to “have more time and space to experiment and go for it.”
Miller didn’t appreciate the newly renovated big screen at Hayward and mentioned it was difficult for javelin throwers. “As long as your face isn’t actively throwing as you’re running—which has happened to me and it can be super distracting,” she said.
Miller’s goals don’t end here at meets. She is currently number four on Stanford’s all-time list. “I’ve been there for a while and I would really like to move up on that list,” she said. Stanford’s current school record is 197 feet, 8 inches, and the top two spots belong to Miller’s past teammates.
“I’d really like to bump myself up next to those girls I trained with for a lot of years and be among those champions,” Miller said.
