by Caleb Garner, Graduate Assistant/Communications
STARKVILLE – After posting the second-best javelin throw in the world in 2019, Mississippi State’s Anderson Peters has garnered national and conference honors on Tuesday.
The reigning NCAA and SEC javelin champion was named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week earlier in the day before the conference named him Co-Field Athlete of the Week with Florida’s Grant Holloway.
“It’s an honor to be named the National Athlete of the Week and Co-Field Athlete of the Week in the SEC,” Peters said. “The home meet was the best opener I’ve ever had. It just shows that my offseason training and my preseason training is paying off. It’s a good start to my season and, hopefully, I can back it up with some even bigger throws this weekend.”
Peters threw 82.64m (271-1.0) on his first attempt on Saturday at the Al Schmidt Bulldog Relays, which landed him atop the NCAA leaderboard and is currently the No. 2 mark in the world in 2019. Entering MSU’s season opener, only three athletes in the world had thrown 82.00m or more this year.
The Grenadian national record holder is one of just two athletes in NCAA history to eclipse the 82.60m (271-0.0) barrier three times or more in a career, joining collegiate record holder Patrik Boden of Texas as the only other athlete to achieve the feat. Additionally, Peters’ mark ranks as the 11th-best in NCAA history and was just short of his personal best of 82.82m (271-8.0), which broke the NCAA meet record in June.
Peters’ national award marks the second time the sophomore has earned the honor after doing so in 2018 after a tremendous performance at the same meet. It is the first time Peters has earned conference Men’s Field Athlete of the Week, although he captured Men’s Freshman Field Athlete of the Week laurels last season before being named the SEC’s Men’s Freshman Field Athlete of the Year.
“This is a tremendous honor for Anderson,” throws coach April Thomas said. “He’s been working very hard, and his performance this weekend showed that his hard work is paying off. He has accomplished so much already in a short time, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. I’m really proud for him and am excited to see what the rest of the season holds for him.”
The Bulldogs will be back in action in a trio of meets this weekend. Some Bulldogs, including Peters, will compete in the prestigious Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on March 28-30 in Austin, Texas, while some will go to nearby San Marcos to participate in the Bobcat Invitational, hosted by Texas State. Others will head to Raleigh, North Carolina, to compete in the adidas Raleigh Relays on Friday and Saturday.
SOURCE: Mississippi State Track and Field
