At this past weekend’s Willie Williams Classic, UA women’s track and field thrower Megan Howard dominated the competition on her way to victories in both the shot put and hammer throw events with throws of 15.08 and 58.52 meters, respectively. The marks were also good enough to qualify her for the NCAA West Regional Championships in May. The Arizona Daily Wildcat caught up with Howard yesterday to discuss her performance, her roommate and catching online predators.
Wildcat: How important was it to you that you came out in the first outdoor meet of the season and swept your events while also earning your qualifying marks for the NCAA Regionals?
Howard: I think the qualifying marks are important. The hammer was really good, but with the shot, I mean, I’ve thrown a lot farther in the past and can throw a lot farther. So even though it’s a qualifying mark and I won, it’s still a little disappointing because I wanted to throw further.
W: So where do you go from here in the next couple of weeks? Have you set the bar for yourself or what else do you hope to accomplish?
H: I feel with the hammer there’s no reason I shouldn’t throw over 200 feet, and that’s kind of the goal for the season is to break the school record so I’m moving towards that direction. With the shot I just have to keep improving. I took eight months off from it (due to an injury) and eight months is a long time.
W: As one of the team’s senior leaders, what sort of legacy do you hope to leave behind for future athletes?
H: Well I’m not really a vocal leader. I’m not going to get in someone’s face and tell them to do this or that. I’m the kind of person to lead by example. I think it’s important to leave behind a legacy of hard work and dedication and going out every day and doing something I love.
W: You and your teammate and roommate Leigh (Bernstein) seem to have a pretty close friendship. If you guys were a superhero duo, what would your names be and what superpowers would you have?
H: (Laughing) Let’s see … Leigh would be
“”Lightning Leigh”” and she (would) throw thunderbolts like she throws her javelin. And I think I would be … well she would call me a giant (Howard is 6-foot-2) but I don’t know, that’s hard. Lightning Leigh, that was a good one. Um, Lightning Leigh and Thunder Meg. I don’t know what my power would be though.
W: I like that, it’s catchy. What’s the best grocery store in the world?
H: Sunflower (Market)! I love Sunflower. They have cheap produce and double ad day on Wednesday.
W: It’s awesome because I work there, too, right?
H: Oh, of course.
W: Do you ever threaten to throw stuff at people?
H: Only Leigh. No, I’m an easy-going person. But people stare at me a lot because I’m a giant. I think they are scared of me.
W: What’s this I hear about you wanting to catch a predator?
H: (Laughs) Oh well you know that Dateline NBC show (“”To Catch a Predator””)? Well, it’s one of my favorite shows. I’m always entertained by it and I think it’s hilarious because these people are crazy. Well, one day we were watching it and we were like, “”Let’s try to catch a predator online.”” So we found a chat room and we tried to catch predators but we couldn’t because it’s a lot harder than the TV shows because everyone online is crazy.
W: If you ever caught one what would you do?
H: I would probably just call the police. I don’t think I could say anything to them, I would be too scared. (Laughs) “”To Catch a Predator.”” It’s a good show.
– interview by Jeremy Hawkes
