By Krystle Bono
Broadwater Academy alum and William & Mary graduate student Preston Richardson made his mark in Tribe history this week, setting a school record in the Penn Relays last Friday, battling the wet and turbulent outdoor elements to shatter the program’s record in shot put at 18.37m (60 feet, 3.25 inches). The Shore native also threw to a personal best of 52.05m (170 feet, 9 inches) in discus, beating his previous lifetime record by three feet, earning him a fifth-place finish.
“It was an awesome feeling. Breaking the school record was a goal I set for myself after my junior season. Unfortunately, my senior year was plagued with injuries. Now [that I’m] in graduate school, it feels great to overcome everything and achieve the goal I set two years ago,” said Richardson.
Richardson’s new marks have bumped him up to be ranked fifth overall in the event in school’s history, and second overall this season in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). His impressive performance also surpassed his previous record by two feet, and ultimately moved him up in the NCAA East Region rankings to 17th.
“Moving forward into championship season, I want to build on this momentum and focus on winning and placing well at each meet. Hopefully, new PR’s will come in the process,” said Richardson.
The CAA named Richardson as the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week for three straight weeks, boasting the title for the fourth time this season, and his fifth selection of his collegiete career.
He earned the accolade in the first week after his showing at George Mason April 13, and again after the Duke Invitational, April 20.
With reaching such new heights and pushing through past setbacks, the former Viking is looking to continue to augment his success.
“My ultimate goal is to make NCAA Nationals, which requires to place top-12 in the NCAA regional meet. The only thing I can do is keep working on my technique and rhythm in practice that my coach and I have been focusing on and hopefully, results will follow.”
Richardson and the Tribe are set to begin Day 1 of the CAA Championships in Elon, N.C., today (Friday) beginning at 10 a.m.
