WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., May 13, 2016 — Alexis Montes, WLU fifth-year senior All-American from Glen Dale, W.Va. is hitting the mark in a big way.
Montes won the javelin event at this past weekend’s Mountain East Conference Outdoor Championships in Buckhannon, W.Va. with a throw of 156 feet, 3 inches, shattering the previous record by nearly 14 feet!
Alexis Montes, javelin athlete
It was her best throw of the season and one of the top-10 throws in the nation by an NCAA Division II woman this year.
Already a two-time NCAA Division II All-Region selection, Montes became West Liberty’s first NCAA Division II Track and Field All-American last year when she finished seventh in the javelin at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals in Allendale, Mich. Her throw of 158 feet, 10 inches at the NCAA Nationals is a school record.
Montes is expected to receive an invitation to compete in this year’s NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals, which are scheduled for May 26-28 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. She is a graduate of John Marshall High School.
“I am so excited and very hopeful I will be become a two-time All American. I can not wait to represent West Liberty University at the nationals!” Montes said. She is currently seeded seventh in the country for DII javelin.
“I like throwing the javelin. It really clicks with me,” she said. She played every other sport during high school but has only thrown for about two years.
“I was ecstatic to get the new pink javelin and am grateful to Dave Coffaro for his support,” she added. Coffaro, a 1977 Hall of Fame alumnus from Pittsburgh, is WLU’s first NAIA track and field All-American and a former record setting javelin thrower for the black and gold. He donated the funds to purchase her new javelin.
Montes’ new javelin is a Diana Classic model measuring 60 meters in length and weighing only 1.5 pounds.
She continues to train at West Liberty and other local tracks. She earned a bachelor’s in education, with a concentration in athletic administration and coaching. Montes begins to work on her master’s in education at WLU in fall 2016.
A member of the USA Track & Field Association, she is working toward hitting an Olympic qualifying throw so she can try out for Rio in August. She would have to earn an A-standard throw of around 51 meters to earn the try-out.
“It will be really tough but it’s my goal and I hope to do it,” she said. Montes is a member of the Hilltoppers Track and Field team and receives coaching help from Assistant Track and Field Coach Aaron Schneid.
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