There's a new national high school javelin record, and the last name responsible for it should be a familiar one for fans of prep track and field: Crouser.
As reported by Oregon Live and a handful of other sources, 17-year-old Gresham (Ore.) High junior Haley Crouser tossed the javelin a female prep record 181-feet, 2-inches at the Aloha Relays, smashing the previous best mark of 176-foot-8 held by Las Vegas native Avione Allgood in 2011.
"I was really waiting to open up the season and get a big one," Crouser told Oregon Live. "I wasn't sure if I'd get it in this meet or the end of the season, but I was hoping to get it this year.
"I was really excited to throw. It's a great facility, and I'm so lucky with the weather and everything, how it turned out."
If the Crouser name sounds familiar, that's probably because you may have heard of the junior's older brother or cousin, both of whom are legendary prep throwing champions themselves. Sam Crouser, Haley's older brother, set a national javelin record for boys as a Gresham senior in 2010, hurling the javelin an astounding 255-feet, 4-inches. His cousin, Ryan Crouser set a national record in the discus with a toss of 237-feet-4 as a Barlow (Ore.) High senior last spring.
Now Haley Crouser has entered the fray, adding yet another familial accomplishment to a long list of throwing achievements which were first started by the patriarch of the Crouser clan, Gresham throwing coach Dean Crouser, who happened to win a national shot put and discus title himself while competing at the University of Oregon.
"It's overwhelming," said Dean Crouser, the 1982 NCAA champion in the shot and discus at Oregon. "We would never have imagined anything like this. It's been so much fun. For me to be a part of this, it's like a dream come true."
For Haley Crouser, her record throw might be just the beginning of a very notable summer. The 181-foot toss qualified her to compete in the U.S. Olympic trials, where she could earn a spot on this summer's squad which will head to London. If she does so, she might even get a chance to lineup alongside her brother or cousin.
"I want to throw 191," Haley Crouser told Oregon Live. "My old goal was 181. We'll see what happens because Olympic A standards are 198. Before I had never really thought about it. I'm like, 'Oh, I'm doing the Olympic Trials, I'll just do my best.' But now it's like, 'Wow, this could really happen.'"
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