Durocher Honored by Big Sky After Solid Weekend
OGDEN, Utah – After collecting a personal-best mark in the hammer throw this past weekend, senior thrower Curtis Durocher was named Big Sky Field Athlete of the Week Tuesday afternoon. The Belle River, Ontario native picked up his second conference award this outdoor season after he hurled 63.57m (208-7) to finish third overall at the Sun Angel Classic.
Throws coach Mohamad Saatara was very pleased with the effort put forth by Durocher, and is very encouraged by the big marks he is putting up so far this season.
"The competition was very good with a lot of throwers hitting good marks," Saatara said. "We went into the competition with the mindset that we were going to have a solid series and improve on each throw. Right now Curtis is just progressing more and more so that he can throw further at the Big Sky Championships, Regionals and then Nationals."
With his personal-best mark, Durocher moved up in the NAU record books, and now sits in third place on the all-time hammer throw list. He passed Brandon Hall (207-6) who held the third spot for nearly nine years.
Durocher also moved up in the national rankings after the weekend, jumping up seven spots in the West Region from No. 15 to eighth. The Big Sky leader also ranks 18th in the nation in the event.
The Lumberjacks return to action this weekend as they head out west to take part in three meets in the Los Angeles, Calif., area. The team will compete at the Mt. Sac Relays, the Brian Clay Invitational and the Beach Invitational during the three-day trip.
