Jacob Armbrust of Metamora, Illinois, makes history with discus throw and earns multiple honors

2015 May 11

Jacob Armbrust of Olivet Nazarene University's men's track and field team made history with his 63.17-meter (207 feet, three inches) throw in the discus at the recent Augustana College (Illinois) Meet of Champions.

Armbrust's throw ranks him No. 12 in the world in his event. The throw is the longest ever by a college athlete in the state of Illinois and qualifies Armbrust for the USA Outdoor Championships in June 2015.

In addition, this throw was the second longest throw in the history of the NAIA and ranked Armbrust No. 2 in all college divisions (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA), and No. 1 in the NAIA. He leads all of NAIA in Power Ranking Points (every event leader).

As a Meet of Champions competitor, he ranked second in a field of 43, earning him NAIA and CCAC Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week honors.

Armbrust is a junior from Metamora, Illinois, and is majoring in physical education at Olivet. He gained this recent recognition after breaking his own school record in the discus by nearly six meters.

"Jake has worked very hard to achieve this," said Mike McDowell, head coach of the Olivet Tigers track and field program. "He's coachable and dedicated, which makes him a great athlete to work with. His achievement is a perfect example of how hard work pays off. As he always does, Jake will represent ONU extremely well."

In addition, Armbrust -- who is ranked No. 3 in the NAIA shot put -- won the shot put event at the Meet of Champions, outdistancing 37 other challengers with a throw of 16.85 meters (55-3.5).

"I just want to continue to train hard and give everything I have every day," Armbrust said. "If I continue to work hard and stay hungry, the future is full of great possibilities."