Bowling Green State University Athletics
Brooke Pleger Concludes Career At Olympic Trials; Places Eighth In Hammer
July 06, 2016 | Women's Track and Field
Eugene, Ore. – Bowling Green State University alumnae Brooke Pleger placed eighth in the hammer throw at the US Olympic Trials Wednesday. A 2015 BGSU graduate and three-time first team All-American, Pleger is only the second female track and field athlete from Bowling Green to ever compete at the US Olympic Trials.
With the 24 best hammer throws in the United States converging on the University of Oregon, Pleger knew she had her work cut out for her. Seeded eighth, she needed to finish among the top nine during the prelims to advance to finals and earn three more throws.
Pleger's second throw of 219-feet-7 (66.92m) was good enough to earn her a spot to finals in seventh place. Her first throw was 210-1 and third was 218-3. Over her final three throws, she was unable to improve, posting a best of 208-10 during finals.
"This was an incredible experience," Pleger said. "It was so awesome getting to throw inside Hayward Field for the first time. I was able to go in and accomplish exactly what my goals were, which was to get six throws. It was probably my best technical meet of the season, and although I didn't have a personal best mark, it still felt really great to be throwing at the Olympic Trials. I regret nothing from my seven years of throwing the hammer, and I am very happy with where my career finished. I am ready to move on to the next chapter of my life. I am so grateful to everyone for all of the love and support, I couldn't ask for a better BG family."
Amber Campbell won the meet and earned a trip to the Olympics by throwing 242-10. Gwen Berry and Deanna Price both threw 239-9 to gain the final two spots to Rio. Pleger finished just three inches behind Aubrey Baxter for seventh place.
Pleger was the first BGSU female student-athlete to qualify for the track and field Olympic Trials since Ruth (Ristvey) Cisneros in 1992. Cisneros finished 16th in the javelin with a throw of 150-1 (45.76m). Todd Black was the last male student-athlete to compete at the meet, placing eighth in the 800 in 1996. Dave Wottle won the 800 in 1972 with an American record time of 1:44.3 and went on to win gold at the Olympics in dramatic fashion. He was second in the 1500 at the same meet.
A year ago, Pleger finished eighth at the USA Track and Field National Championships and placed third at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in both 2014 and 2015. She was seventh as a redshirt sophomore in 2013 to earn the first of her three consecutive first team All-American awards. For the last year, Pleger has served as an assistant coach for BGSU's women's track and field team as she trained in the hammer.
With the 24 best hammer throws in the United States converging on the University of Oregon, Pleger knew she had her work cut out for her. Seeded eighth, she needed to finish among the top nine during the prelims to advance to finals and earn three more throws.
Pleger's second throw of 219-feet-7 (66.92m) was good enough to earn her a spot to finals in seventh place. Her first throw was 210-1 and third was 218-3. Over her final three throws, she was unable to improve, posting a best of 208-10 during finals.
"This was an incredible experience," Pleger said. "It was so awesome getting to throw inside Hayward Field for the first time. I was able to go in and accomplish exactly what my goals were, which was to get six throws. It was probably my best technical meet of the season, and although I didn't have a personal best mark, it still felt really great to be throwing at the Olympic Trials. I regret nothing from my seven years of throwing the hammer, and I am very happy with where my career finished. I am ready to move on to the next chapter of my life. I am so grateful to everyone for all of the love and support, I couldn't ask for a better BG family."
Amber Campbell won the meet and earned a trip to the Olympics by throwing 242-10. Gwen Berry and Deanna Price both threw 239-9 to gain the final two spots to Rio. Pleger finished just three inches behind Aubrey Baxter for seventh place.
Pleger was the first BGSU female student-athlete to qualify for the track and field Olympic Trials since Ruth (Ristvey) Cisneros in 1992. Cisneros finished 16th in the javelin with a throw of 150-1 (45.76m). Todd Black was the last male student-athlete to compete at the meet, placing eighth in the 800 in 1996. Dave Wottle won the 800 in 1972 with an American record time of 1:44.3 and went on to win gold at the Olympics in dramatic fashion. He was second in the 1500 at the same meet.
A year ago, Pleger finished eighth at the USA Track and Field National Championships and placed third at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in both 2014 and 2015. She was seventh as a redshirt sophomore in 2013 to earn the first of her three consecutive first team All-American awards. For the last year, Pleger has served as an assistant coach for BGSU's women's track and field team as she trained in the hammer.
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