Small but mighty: Gateway grad Corrie wins PSAC women's indoor shot put title

Sarah Corrie likes to think of herself as small but mighty.

At 5-foot-4 and with the ability to bench press more than 200 pounds, the senior isn’t likely to get many arguments over that assertion.

Yet there were some coaches and a few fellow track and field athletes through the years who told her she couldn’t make it in the shot put. She might have been small and mighty, but she was too small and not quite mighty enough to compete against women who were more physically imposing.

Or so they claimed.

That made her view from atop the award stand at the recent PSAC indoor track and field championships that much more satisfying. Corrie captured her first conference title in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 14.59 meters, beating the next-closest competitor by two-thirds of a meter.

“I was ready for that,” the Gateway grad said. “There were a few practices before that that made me feel comfortable going into a big meet like that.”

She also earned her first trip to the NCAA Division II championships. That didn’t go quite the way she wanted, as she finished last among the 16 qualifiers, throwing only 13.16 meters.

She said she had been throwing close to 15 meters in the practices leading up to the national meet. But, Corrie admitted, some nerves and the lack of experience on such a big stage might have gotten to her.

“Consistency has never been my issue,” she said. “But at nationals, I think the shot just wasn’t coming out of my hand right. I just wasn’t getting the flick off the shot, so I think just working on my finish will help me.”

Corrie will be working on that technique with volunteer assistant Judy Geist. Geist, a Slippery Rock alum who was a two-time All-American and two-time PSAC champion in the shot, has been tutoring Corrie since last season.

Corrie credited Geist with her development. But beyond showing her the finer points of throwing the shot, Geist’s greatest contribution might be restoring Corrie’s confidence.

Last season, Corrie suffered a torn hip flexor that hindered her performance. Rather than taking a redshirt, she competed through the discomfort, but she was unable to qualify for the finals at PSACs.

“She has helped me not even just through track but with everything surrounding track,” Corrie said about Geist. “Last year was a little bit of a rough year. … She just said, ‘Look where you are now. You worked so hard.’ All the downfalls, there were upsides to them.”

Head coach Bill Jordan said plenty of credit goes to Corrie as well.

“The big thing for Sarah is, since she has gotten to Slippery Rock, she has been such a dedicated athlete to the physical qualities she needed to produce to become better,” he said. “She’s explosive. She’s extremely hard-working, and she has developed, just in general, strength and explosive power so much.”

As outdoor season kicks into high gear, Corrie is hoping for another view from atop the PSAC medal stand and another trip to nationals. Even if she doesn’t achieve all of her goals this spring, Corrie will take her additional (covid) year of eligibility next season.

And she will bring with her the same chip on her shoulder that made her show the naysayers that small indeed could be mighty.

“I think it’s reassuring that I get another shot at all this even though this year is going well so far,” she said. “I have worked so hard (to make nationals) over the years. It was something I dreamed of happening. Now that it finally became a thing, it makes me want to work that much harder to get the outcome I know I can actually get.”