Campbell earns huge honor in last event
CHERRY TWP — Cambrie Campbell is a veteran when it comes to the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet.
She made her third trip to Greensboro, N.C., over the weekend to compete in the javelin.
This time, though, was different.
“The first two years, I didn't even make the finals,” said Campbell, who recently graduated from Moniteau High School. “When I made the finals this year, it pumped me up.”
And Campbell used that energy to hurl the javelin 130 feet, 6 inches to place sixth in the Championship division at the New Balance meet and earn All-American honors.
“I really couldn't be happier,” Campbell said. “It was just surreal. I wasn't sure if I made it and when I realized I did, I just started crying.”
Her big final high school meet capped a meteoric rise in the event for Campbell, who only began throwing the javelin during her sophomore year.
“Well, Moniteau doesn't have a lot of sports and my dad threw the javelin,” Campbell said. “I thought that seems like fun and I could be good at it.”
Campbell has become more than just good at it.
During her first season throwing the javelin, she placed third at the PIAA Track and Field Championships despite a philosophy of “chuck it and hope.”
Last year, she finished third again, and this season she placed fifth.
“The hardest thing about the sport is mental,” Campbell said. “You're not always going to have a good day and throw your (personal best). You have to trust the process. You have to learn not to get down.”
Campbell is hoping the javelin takes her to new heights at Youngstown State University.
“I'm not going to lie, (YSU) wasn't my first choice,” Campbell said. “But I ended up liking it a lot.”
Campbell said her experiences in high school prepared her for her future.
She's still just scratching the surface on her potential in the event.
“What I learned,” Campbell said, “is nothing can stop me but me.”
