Oliviyah Thornton, Garretson High School class of 2022 graduate, has been breaking records on the track & field team in her sophomore year at Dakota State University.
Thornton broke the DSU hammer throw record at the USD Early Bird Invitational on April 6, and broke her own record again a week later at the Sioux City Relays. She overtook DSU's Kylie Martin's 2017 record throw of 48.98 meters with her own toss of 49.56 meters (162 feet, 7 inches). This past Saturday, Thornton threw 51.42 m (168 feet, 8 inches), nearly 2 meters further.
Conditions for the first record were not in Thornton's favor, as the wind was strong with wind gusts topping out at 55 miles per hour at the outdoor meet on April 6.
During the NCAA Division I meet, the team produced the NAIA national qualifying mark.
Overall, Thornton placed 7th in the event and achieved the NAIA 'B' provisional qualifying mark in the women's hammer throw at USD. She then led DSU with an 11.56-meter shot put toss (37 feet, 11.25 inches) for a 17th-place finish.
In Sioux City on April 13, Thornton qualified for the NAIA 'A' provisional qualifying mark in the hammer throw and earned third place. She then went on to lead the Trojans with a personal best 40.18 meters (131 feet, 10 inches) to finish third in the discus and threw 12.29 meters (40 feet, 4 inches) to place third in the shot put.
