FIVE

OKLAHOMA STATE’S CAITLIN WAY IS THE MODEL STUDENT-ATHLETE.

All-Big 12 honors combined in the weight and hammer throws, a two-time member of the Capital One Academic All-America Track & Field Team and four academic All-Big 12 honors while carrying a cumulative 4.0 GPA

Way, hailing from Mitchell, S.D., has always had her priorities in order. She knew why she was at Oklahoma State, and that the academics were probably more important to what she wanted to accomplish. “I would focus on track and getting myself better when I trained and competed, but I always knew I had to focus on my classwork,” Way said. “I ALWAYS TRIED AS HARD AS I COULD TO KEEP MY PRIORITIES STRAIGHT AND REMEMBER I WAS AT OSU TO DO A JOB, AND THAT WAS MY JOB.”

OSU throws coach John Baumann said he has never coached an athlete quite like Caitlin. In his mind, the things that made her so e ective in the classroom were almost holding her back in the circle.

“Caitlin is very systematic,” Baumann said. “That trait has really helped her in the classroom. She is such a planner, which allowed her to balance her classwork and stay on top of everything. However, in the circle, she had the expectation that if she did this and did that, she would get a certain result. That’s not always how it works. When that happened, her world would kind of begin to fall apart. Where she has improved the most is dealing with and shutting out the external stressors around her. Once she began to do that, it all started to fall into place.”

In all fairness to Way, what became her signature event was something she had never thrown before arriving in Stillwater.

“I ACTUALLY ONLY THREW THE SHOT PUT AND DISCUS IN HIGH SCHOOL,” WAY SAID. “WE DIDN’T HAVE THE HAMMER IN HIGH SCHOOL IN SOUTH DAKOTA. I loved throwing the discus. I thought that was my bread and butter, and what I would be throwing in college. When I got to Stillwater, I thought I would throw the shot, discus, hammer and weight, but coach Baumann thought I had maybe reached my potential in the discus.

The Big 12 is so competitive in the throws. YOU HAVE TO BE GREAT AT WHAT YOU DO TO BE AN ALL-CONFERENCE PERFORMER, so we decided to put all the eggs in one basket and do the hammer in outdoors and the weight during indoors.”

Way began to gain confidence in the hammer, and soon there was no worry, no preconceived notions. It was time to let it fly, and she did. SHE EARNED HER FIRST ALL-BIG 12 HONOR IN THE 2012 OUTDOOR HAMMER, PLACING SIXTH and qualifying for the NCAA WEST preliminary round. She didn’t advance to the finals, BUT TOOK 28TH WITH A THROW OF 57.59M/188'-11", A PERSONAL BEST AT THE TIME.

It was just the beginning.

In the 2013 indoor season, she won the weight throw at the KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY ALL-COMERS MEET (17.30m/56'-9.25"), the ARKANSAS-OSU duel (16.60m/54'-5.5") and the SOONER INVITATIONAL , where she THREW AN INDOOR-BEST 18.65m/61'-2.25". At the BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS, she launched an 18.39m/60'-0.04" to finish SEVENTH, earning two team points for the Cowgirls. In the outdoor season she yet again earned allconference honors after launching a then personal-best 60.02m/196'-11" to take FOURTH IN THE HAMMER. She once again qualified for the NCAA WEST preliminary in the hammer, and missed qualifying for the national meet by a meter.

In 2014, Way was a two-time AllBig 12 honoree. She was seventh in the weight throw and sixth in the hammer. She also qualified for the OUTDOOR WEST preliminaries for a third time. Amidst the athletic success, she compiled FOUR CONSECUTIVE ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 HONORS, BECOMING ONLY THE SECOND COWGIRL TO DO SO. She was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Track & Field Teams in 2013 and 2014.

Baumann said Way’s adaptation to change, in both athletics and in life, has helped her improve.

“SHE HAS JUST EVOLVED SO MUCH,” BAUMANN SAID. “Like I said, she is such a creature of habit. When she was able to evolve in her understanding of the sport and life in general, she began to show how incredible she really is. She realized stepping out of the box was OK.

SHE HAS IMPROVED SO MUCH IN REGARDS TO DEALING WITH CHANGE, AND IT HAS HELPED HER IMPROVE AS AN ATHLETE AND A PERSON.”

Way’s hard work did not go unnoticed. Two of her most important accolades were still to come.

In the fall of 2013, Way was named one of 47 SENIORS OF SIGNIFICANCE at OSU. From that pool, in the spring of 2014, OSU selected 15 seniors to be the university’s outstanding seniors for 2014.

Way was on that list. To put the honor in perspective, only the top one-half percent of OSU’s seniors were selected.

“It was really humbling and surprising,” Way said. “To me, I was always just doing my job and what was expected of me. I didn’t really think I was doing anything outstanding or extraordinary. However, the fact that the university recognized me and determined I had, was humbling and exciting. It was really cool.”

Even with the success in the classroom and the circle, Way felt she had a higher calling, and that led her to the FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES

“What I’ve done and enjoyed the most is visiting schools, speaking to kids and telling my story,” Way said. “I want to use the platform I’ve been given to influence other kids and serve them. I’ve really enjoyed that. Being a college athlete, I’ve learned that life is so much bigger than athletics, and I want to communicate that. SPORTS ARE GREAT, BUT THEY ARE ONLY PART OF SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER.”

Way had found a perfect fit, and eventually became the organization’s president. She continued to use the platform to do what she feels she was meant to do.

“I’ve just wanted to stress to young athletes that there is so much more to life than winning and losing,” Way said. “Being the president for the past two years has given me the platform to communicate that and I am grateful.”

That experience has led Way, a premed/physiology graduate, to take advantage of being the second Cowgirl track and field athlete to earn an NCAA post-graduate scholarship. She will be a track and field coach at the UNIVERSITY OF SIOUX FALLS, a Christian liberal arts university, in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Way said she is excited to do what she has a passion for, and also be close to home.

“I’ve known the former throws coach at the University of Sioux Falls for a long time,” Way said. “In February I competed in a meet at the University of Nebraska and saw him there. He said he was going to step down and they were looking for a replacement. They were especially looking for a female. We talked about it and two weeks later I got the call from the head coach. We discovered I was the perfect fit for them and they were the perfect fit for me. It’s a great opportunity, being a Christian school, to share my faith with my athletes at my job.”

Way said even though her degree is supposed to be a stepping stone to medical school, she knows she is where she is supposed to be right now.

“I don’t really know what my end goal is right now,” Way said. “I know even with how much I loved everything about the science in my undergraduate courses, I don’t want to go to medical school — at least not yet. During my time at OSU, I got really involved with FCA and fell in love with serving and mentoring young athletes. I don’t know how long I will be doing this, but I KNOW THIS IS WHAT GOD HAS PLANNED FOR ME REGARDING THE NEXT STEP IN MY LIFE.”