By Ron Smith
March 3, 2021
 
(YANKTON, S.D.) Westmont Women's Track and Field concluded the indoor season by earning two All-American titles at the Indoor Championships. Madden Hundley earned the honor in the mile run and Sydney Marr notched her second All-American designation in the 25-pound weight throw and third overall.
 
Hundley finished in fifth place, posting a time of 5:08.85.
 
"Madden had determined that she wanted to have a good race and go out with the front people," said Westmont head coach Russell Smelley. "She raced the whole race that way. The times when athletes often settle, she took the challenge to move forward. That got her in a great position with a lap to go and she ran a six-second personal record."
 
Hundley's time earns her the ninth spot on Westmont's "Top-10 Athletes" list for the women's mile.
 
Marr's best throw of 16.71 meters (54-10) tied her for eighth place with Joey Stenson of Doane (Neb.). Marr won the tiebreaker with a second-best throw of 16.69 meters (54-9.25) to secure her place as a 2021 All-American.
 
"Sydney didn't really have her eyes set on nationals for indoors this year," explained Smelley. "She is going to graduate school and wanted to save her eligibility. Then she competed for us in the GSAC Indoor Invitational and popped a qualifying mark. I asked her if she wanted to go and she thought about it and decided she would. She said she would rather be an All-American for Westmont."
 
Marr is the Westmont record holder in the event with a mark of 17.31 meters (56-9). Coming into today's competition she also owned all of Westmont's top 10 performances in the weight throw. Four of her throws today will replace her previous marks in the top-10 list.
 
"Her first three throws were consistent," said Smelley of Marr's marks of 16.63, 16.50 and 16.71 meters. "Then she went for it in the fourth attempt and pulled it. Her fifth throw was so-so. Then she threw her second-best throw in her sixth attempt.
 
"Sydney has very good self-awareness skills. She is able to adapt and perform to her best. She doesn't get undone by the competition.
 
"She is the most supportive athlete. I arrived late, because I was attending to other team business, and found coaches from other schools giving her advice. Almost every coach there spoke to her about her performance, which is a result of her supportive nature and the way she reaches out to other competitors."
 
The championship concludes tomorrow with the men's finals. Westmont's 4 x 800 meter relay team will compete at 7:20 am. PST. The distance medley relay team will compete at 1:25 p.m.