AUBURN, Ala.—Auburn redshirt freshmen Madi Malone will look to vie for all-America honors this weekend when she competes in the women's weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala. The women's weight throw will be contested at 4:30 p.m. CT.
Malone broke the Auburn school record in the weight throw February 23 during the SEC Indoor Championships where she finished second in the event. Her record throw of 22.11m/72-6.5 was good enough for the ninth-best mark in the country and the top weight throw mark nationally among all freshman. She was the highest scoring freshmen in all field events at the conference championships.
"She's got a really good chance of being an All-American (top eight)," Auburn head coach Ralph Spry said. "She enters the championship ranked ninth nationally, but she's peaking at the right time. She's throwing good counts. That's what really matters at a meet like this. She's been throwing good heading into this meet. She's hitting it at all cylinders all at the right time and she's very consistent. She's been getting better every meet. I don't see that changing at the NCAA Championships. I think she'll have a great meet."
The Wichita, Kan., native is the fourth Tiger in school history to qualify for indoor nationals in the weight throw joining Jasmine Manigault (2017), Ronda Gullatte (2006) and Stacy Martin (2004, '02).
"My goal is to PR, but even if I just get close to it, I'll be happy, because it was such a big jump last meet," Malone said.
Named the 2019 SEC Freshman Indoor Female Field Athlete of the Year, Malone is first freshman to win an SEC indoor postseason award since Shelly-Ann Gallimore was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2000 and first to win an SEC indoor award since Kerron Stewart was named SEC Runner of the Year in 2007.
This will be the second time that Malone will throw at the CrossPlex this indoor season, after opening the 2019 indoor season in January at the UAB Blazer Invite.
"Anytime you go to a facility where you've been before, it takes a little bit of stress off," Spry said. "Because you know where you got to be at, how to get there and it just makes things that much easier in terms of logistics."
Malone is one of 16 competitors in the field. The top nine after three throws will advance to the finals with three more attempts. All-America honors are awarded to the top eight competitors.
The championships will be televised live in ESPN3.