Jan. 25, 2010
Jacqui Barrett wasn’t all that satisfied with her shot put attempt at the Tufts Winter Invitational Track & Field Championship last weekend.
But the University of Massachusetts Lowell senior from Woburn was all smiles when the distance was announced - 47 feet, 3 inches. Good enough to win the event and - more important - good enough to qualify for the NCAA Division 2 Indoor Championships mid-March in Albuquerque.
It was a first in her star-studded career. Qualifying for the outdoors championships hasn’t been a problem - she finished 12th and 15th - the past two years, but qualifying indoors had always been a stumbling block.
“I don’t know what it was, I just couldn’t get there,’’ said Barrett, the two-time Northeast-10 Conference champion. “Last year, I qualified provisionally more than once. The NCAA took 13 shot putters. I was 14th. I missed by 2 inches. I was determined not to let the same thing happen this year. To automatically qualify with this throw is a great weight off my shoulders and should allow me to throw stress-free the rest of the season.’’
Barrett said when she threw the shot at Tufts, “it didn’t feel right’’ and only after the result was announced did she realize how wrong she was. The toss was a personal best indoors, and she was the only woman in the field of 19 to throw more than 40 feet. Her outdoors best is 47 feet, 4 1/4 inches.
“This was our goal when the season started, to get her automatically qualified as early in the season as we could,’’ said UMass coach Gary Gardner. “It was important for her to get it out of the way early. Now that the pressure is off, she can concentrate on doing well in all the other big meets ahead. She should be able to relax and that in turn should help her throw better.’’
In the same meet, Barrett’s male counterpart - Cory Murray of Methuen - threw the shot 52 feet, 8 inches to strengthen his position on the NCAA provisional qualifying list. He had provisionally qualified earlier in the Dartmouth Relays with a throw of 52 feet, 4 3/4 inches.
“Right now, he’s ranked 11th, and it’s likely the NCAA will take the top 15, so he’s not there yet,’’ said Gardner. “I figure he’s probably going to have to add at least 2 more feet to definitely qualify. I think he needs to be somewhere in the 54-foot range.
“He switched last year from a glide to a spin position, and it’s taken him some time to get used to that. Over the past few weeks, though, it’s been coming together, and he’s throwing well.’’
