When It Comes To ILH Shot Put And Discus, Sherrill’s No. 1
Le Jardin Academy’s Hannah Sherrill. Photo from the Sherrill family.
It wouldn’t be inaccurate to call Le Jardin Academy’s Hannah Sherrill a late bloomer in track and field, since she took up throwing the shot put and discus only two-and-a-half years ago.
With a University of Washington track and field scholarship lined up, she could say she’s already made up for lost time. “Track and field is the best thing that’s ever happened for me,” said Sherrill. “The first day I started throwing is the day I knew I’d never stop throwing.”
That was six months before Le Jardin’s track season during her junior year, when basketball and tennis consumed most of her time away from class work.
“Sports always came easy to me – I have some pretty athletic genes – and I’d always played basketball and tennis,” said
Sherrill, whose older sister Haley hopes to compete for Gonzaga in tennis this fall.
“One day, my dad took me out to the backyard to try throwing a coconut (shot put style), and it started there. He’d always thought I had the perfect body for throwing the shot put.
“I threw the shot for about six months before the season. I first picked up a discus about two months before the (prep track) season.”
Sherrill’s junior season included posting a state-best throw of 144.3 feet, but she faltered, by her own estimation, at the 2011 State Track and Field finals, ultimately finishing third (38-02.00). (She finished fifth in the shot put at last year’s state finals.)
“I think I choked,” she said good-naturedly. “I have a lot more experience now and a lot more confidence, and my technique is better.
That was a pretty bad experience. I think I went and worked out the next morning. It made me want to better myself over the summer. It (off-season) was all about getting in shape and getting stronger and learning to hold the technique longer.”
Sherrill rebounded this spring to take first in the ILH in both discus and shot put, covering 159.9 and 41-1.5, respectively.
She was to take part in the state track and field championships over the weekend.
Her senior year also has been consumed by choosing a college, as she had several offers to consider. In all, Sherrill visited 15 schools before initially choosing USC.
“Right before signing, I got an email from the Washington coach and decided to make a visit there,” she said. “I fell in love with the coaches and the program. It was a pretty big weight (lifted from her). It was exciting taking visits to see what college is all about. It was an eye-opening experience. I’m excited to be able to get into a program like that.”
