Preseason Update No. 3: Throws

AMES, Iowa - First-year Iowa State assistant coach Grant Wall takes over a very talented throws group for the 2009-2010 track and field season. Head Coach Corey Ihmels is proud to add Wall to the Iowa State track and field coaching staff, as it prepares for the upcoming season.

"Grant brings a lot of excitement and tenacity to the throws group and will be a tireless worker," Ihmels said. "We've elevated the throws group over the past couple years. (Former ISU throws coach) John Dagata did a tremendous job here, and I think Grant is going to take off where he left off and make the throws group better as we move forward and get ready for the track and field season."

With the temperature dropping and the daylight growing shorter, the indoor season is looming. The throws group has been training since August, and coach Wall has preached one overlying factor in the few months he has been here; endurance.

"Right now we are working on becoming fit," Wall said. "If you're fit you can overcome a lot of deficiencies. I'm trying to get them to realize that throwers need to be athletes."

While any thrower needs to build muscle for power and strength, Wall is focusing his energy on getting his athletes fit for long indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.

"An athlete needs to be able to move their body athletically and not just hit the weight room and put on a ton of muscle," Wall said. "You need to be able to move your weight."

Working on fitness and endurance will hopefully assure that there will be no fatigue-based let downs toward the end of each season. Sophomore thrower Laishema Hampton's season went deep into June last year as she competed in the weight throw at the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., where fatigue set in. This season, Hampton hopes fatigue will not be a factor.

"(Coach Wall) has got us doing a lot of endurance things so we don't get tired during the season," Hampton said. "He's surprised me everyday with the different things he's got us doing. I think it is really going to benefit our group in the long run."

Getting adjusted to his athlete's training styles has been a focal point for Wall as well.

"We're spending a lot of time on basic mechanics, getting reps in and getting comfortable with terminology," Wall said. "I'm just getting used to what their technique is and what they need to work on right now."

The last few seasons the Iowa State throws group has made great strides led by head coach Corey Ihmels and then throws coach John Dagata. With Dagata's departure, Wall brings a fresh outlook to the throws group.

"We're doing a lot of conditioning and I think it is because it is such a long season and we have to be able to endure," freshman Daniel Swarbrick said. "Almost everyday I am reassured by (Wall's) knowledge of throws, so things are looking pretty good."

Wall comes to Iowa State after holding the position of head coach at Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) last season. Before serving as head coach at SVSU, Wall was an assistant coach at Columbia from 2006-08, and at Miami (Ohio) from 2001-2006.

"A situation like this gives me the opportunity to focus my energy on 13 athletes, so the potential is through the roof for what we can accomplish when I have time to spend with individual groups," Wall said. "And of course the talent level is completely different than what I worked with at SVSU. At SVSU I had some talented people but top to bottom this is a phenomenal group."

Wall grew up in Columbus, Ohio, 10 minutes from the campus of Ohio State University, where he later attended college. Now living in Ames, Wall can again enjoy the college town atmosphere. Wall definitely feels at home as he begins his tenure as the throws coach for the Iowa State.

The indoor track and field season begins Dec. 11 with the ISU Holiday Preview, at the Lied Recreational Facility. This will be the first chance to see coach Wall's group in action, while it works toward the NCAA indoor meet in March. Live results of the Holiday Preview will be posted on cyclones.com.