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Robertson taking a shot at an SOU milestone The Raider track star is looking to become the first female athlete in school history to be a four-time All-American By TIM PYLE A visit to a Southern Oregon University track and field practice reveals as much. The senior shot put and discus star shares laughs and smiles with everyone in sight, be it teammate, coach, photographer or reporter, no matter. As the only Raider to earn three-time NAIA All-American honors in program history, and an Academic All-American to boot, Robertson's life appears to be a rousing good time. Just listen to how SOU's all-time leader in the discus and shot put describes her latest record throw in the shot put, which came just last Saturday at California-Davis: "I kid you not, I was dancing right before I threw and like just screwing around. I was sitting on the bench like this, and they call my name. I go up there, and I'm like, 'Is it my turn?' I get up there, and I throw and I look at it and I go, 'That one went far.' And I start going, 'All right.' And he hadn't even told me what it was yet, and everyone just started laughing and going, 'She's so crazy.' And then I hear 43 (feet), 83/4 (inches), and I'm like, 'Oh, shoot.' "It was so funny." A 1998 graduate of Reynolds High in Troutdale, east of Portland, Robertson has been a delight for the Raiders since arriving in Ashland. For three straight years, the 22-year-old has placed fourth in the discus at the NAIA national meet to earn All-American status. A qualifier for nationals in both the discus and shot put this season, Robertson could become the third four-year All-American in any sport in school history - and first-ever female - with a top-six finish in either event May 23-25 in Olathe, Kan. But if it weren't for dissatisfaction with her softball prospects as a freshman in high school, Robertson may have veered away from track and field after competing as a seventh- and eighth-grader. "They told me I was going to be the catcher on varsity, but they'd have someone hit for me," says the 5-foot-7 mathematics major, who boasts a 3.62 grade-point average. "So I went with track." Robertson's parents hired her a private throwing coach, and that same man, Ryan Alexander, eventually became Reynolds' track and field head coach. Under Alexander's tutelage, Robertson blossomed into a two-time all-state thrower. At the Class 4A state meet, she finished third in the discus as a sophomore and third in the javelin and fourth in the discus as a senior. Robertson also starred on Reynolds' girls basketball and water polo teams and was a member of the National Honor Society. She harbored ambitions of becoming a government agent and went through all the preliminary obstacles to enrolling at Army, where she also planned to throw, out of high school. But in June of her senior year, Robertson decided she wished to compete for the Raiders and former head coach Dale Fisher, who, she says, "was the entire reason I came here to Southern." As a true freshman, Robertson broke SOU's records in both the discus, with a fling of 149-6, and the hammer, with a heave of 127-2. Her sophomore season, Robertson recorded her personal record - and the Raider record - in the discus with a launch of 151-9 at the Oregon Twilight in Eugene. As a junior, Robertson moonlighted in the javelin for the first time as a collegian and became one of only three women in Cascade Conference history to claim three consecutive league crowns in one event, the discus. This season, Robertson has come into her own in the shot put, so much so that she considers it - narrowly - her best event over the discus, her traditional specialty. "I've never been confident in my shot before," says Robertson, who owns the NAIA's fourth-best mark in the shot put and third-best effort in the discus (147-5) this season. "I know that if I throw crappy disc, I can throw shot well." The secret of Robertson's overall throwing success is simple, she says. "It's really good coaching, dedication and God-given talent," she says. "And I believe any person can be anything they want to be if they work for it." With five meets left in her collegiate career, beginning with Saturday's Oregon Invitational in Eugene, Robertson plans to "give back" to SOU next year, when she'll serve as a throwing coach for the Raider program. Beyond that, she hopes to earn a teacher's certificate and eventually be a math instructor and coach at the high school level. "I'd love to be a teacher and a coach," Robertson says. "I think people should teach when they love something a lot." For Robertson, it's apparent that both track and field and life in general are lovely, fun affairs. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] NICOLE ROBERTSON WHO : Senior throwing star for the Southern Oregon women's track and field team. PAST : The Raiders' first track and field three-year NAIA All-American has placed nationally in the discus in each of her three complete seasons at SOU. PRESENT : Established a school record in the shot put, surpassing her own mark with a heave of 43-83/4 last weekend. Robertson also owns the Raiders' discus record, and she could become the first SOU female athlete to be a four-time All-American in any sport with a top-six showing in either the discus or shot put at the NAIA nationals in late-May. QUOTE : "It's really good coaching, dedication and God-given talent. ... And I believe any person can be anything they want to be if they work for it." - Nicole Robertson Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.