Baker to compete in NCAA Championships

Kyle Baker had one last throw to reach his goal. He unloaded the javelin and laid it all on the line.  

“That could have been my last throw ever, so I just gave it everything I had,” Baker, a senior at Brigham Young University, said.

The javelin spiraled through the air, and 65.45 meters later it landed. The throw, a season best, earned him 11th place at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field - West Preliminary, earning a trip to the NCAA Championships held in Eugene, Ore. on June 11-14.

“It was pretty awesome,” Baker said of qualifying. “I was kind of in shock, and was like, ‘Is this really happening?’”

Baker, a Libby native, will compete at 1:35 p.m. June 14 at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus.

BYU Track and Field Coach Ed Eyestone said in technical events, such as the javelin throw, athletes’ extra efforts can be counterproductive.

“You need to focus on staying within your level,” Eyestone, who has coached 34 All-Americans, said. “While others crumbled under the pressure, (Baker) rose to the occasion.”

Baker was second of three flights of 16 throwers, but made the cut by finishing in the top 12, something Eyestone said rarely happens.

The West Preliminary was held in Fayetteville, Ark. on May 29-31. Since then Baker took a couple of days off to recover from achilles tendonitis. He continues to lift weights and work on his approach.

“The timing is really delicate,” Baker said. “The javelin has to fly perfectly straight in order to maximize the distance.”

Unlike a football or baseball throw, which can come from many angles, Baker said javelin throwers must combine explosive rotational movement with their hips with minimal upper-body movement.

“It is not just purely strength and muscling it out there,” Baker said. “You have to have the correct timing and position of your body in order to get the right flight on the javelin.”

Leading into the national championships, Baker has focused on repeating his lead steps and maintaining consistent timing while pulling back the javelin. This muscle memory will allow him to solely focus on throwing technique.  

Timothy Hodel, one of Baker’s high school coaches in Libby, said Baker has always been able to bounce back after a bad throw, something very important in throwing a javelin.

At the West Preliminary, Baker’s first two throws did not qualify him for the championships.

“(Baker) wanted to be good at everything he did,” Hodel said. “He is intrinsically motivated; he wanted to do things for himself.”

Twenty-four athletes will compete in the javelin championship. Nine will advance from the preliminary round to the final.

“It’s important not to try and be a superhero,” Baker said. “But to try and do what you know you can do.”

Baker said one of his goals, besides making it to the championships, has been to throw more than 220 feet (67.056 meters). His career best is 66.08 meters.

Robert Morris University senior Chris Carper enters the competition with the top seed after a throw of 73.09 meters.

“I’m not just happy to be here and that’s that, I’m done trying,” Baker said. “I’m really going after it because this is my last track meet ever, so I’m going to leave everything out there.”