In a matter of two weeks, Kayla Mokwuah '18 went from breaking a school record by the narrowest of margins to completely obliterating it.
For the second time this season, Kayla set a Spring Track record at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, throwing the shot put 36 feet, 1 inch, in a home meet April 29.
"Throwing 36-1 was a big step for this season," Kayla said. "It will help me get to where I want to be, which is getting a new PR. I'm always looking to improve. This is a big step because I've been throwing 3 feet less than 36, so this gets me closer to my goal of throwing well and placing in New Englands."
Kayla established a new shot put mark in a meet April 15 with a heave of 33-4½, which broke the previous mark by less than 2 inches.
At the practice before her record-breaking performance, Kayla made an adjustment with her technique, which proved to make a gigantic difference. She set the new mark on her first of two throws.
"The day before the meet, I felt better in practice," Kayla explained. "I changed my routine in how I throw so I could get more power behind my throw. I definitely felt I was getting longer distances at practice.
"I knew when I threw it at the meet that it was a good throw. I could feel it in my body. I know when it's a good or bad throw. I've been improving over the season."
Kayla's personal record is 37-9, which she hopes to surpass by the end of the season.
"Kayla's been doing very well," Coach Tom Iannacone said. "She's been taking advice well and doing the little things and it showed on Saturday. We finally had a nice meet. She got the shot to fly and did really well. We have three weeks until New Englands, though, and we still have work to do."