BEREA, OHIO -- It's really a simple formula for Baldwin Wallace University senior thrower Greg Patrick. Put in the time, dedicate yourself to the sport and results will follow. But Patrick doesn't just talk about getting better; he goes out and actually does it.
Patrick, a native of Collins, Ohio and graduate of Western Reserve High School, has developed into one of the elite throwers in the Ohio Athletic Conference and all of Division III during his time in Berea. He became the first shot put All-American in school history when he finished eighth at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships last May. Along the way, he racked up numerous accolades, including several All-OAC, All-Ohio and All-Region honors.
"Greg is a fierce competitor," said veteran BW Head Track & Field Coach Dr. Bill Taraschke. "He works very hard and wants to do well every time he competes."
Patrick's work ethic and dedication to throwing has led to some impressive statistics. But the most impressive of all is the fact that he has improved each of his marks in every season and every event he competes in.
Patrick stays busy by competing in the weight throw and shot put during the indoor track season and three events, the shot put, discus and hammer throws during the outdoor season.
After his first season of indoor track at BW, his personal-bests were 47 feet, nine and three quarter inches for the shot put and 43'0.50" in the weight throw. He has improved on those marks to now having career bests of 54'6.75" in the shot and 53'7" for the weight throw.
Outdoors, Patrick's improvements are even more evident. He has bettered his shot put mark by nearly seven feet to a career-best mark of 54'0", has increased his discus PR by 24 feet to 162'6"and hammer throw by 42 feet (163'2").
Patrick has numerous positive attributes as an athlete which have allowed him to flourish at the collegiate level. "Greg has many strengths, but if you take one look at Greg in his uniform you will be hard pressed not to notice one of his biggest strengths: his power. The guy is one huge muscle and he's extremely explosive," said BW Throwing Coach Jarrod Davis, who was a three-time Horizon League Champion thrower while competing for Youngstown State University.
Patrick earned OAC Field Athlete of the Year honors for his performanceat last week's championships. His training regimen is intense as well. Patrick will throw for around two hours at practice, getting in anywhere between 20 and 40 throws, throwing less as the season progresses as he starts his peak phase. He also lifts three times a week and does plyometrics once a week. In the off-season, Patrick lifts four times a week and also throws on his own.
Patrick points to the mental aspect of throwing as one of his strengths as well. "I believe I have gained a mental edge. I have learned how to prepare for a meet and execute on meet days."
"Greg is an intense competitor," commented Davis. "Sometimes I literally have to warn the rest of our athletes to give him a little space when he is getting ready to throw. He's a super nice guy, but he turns it up a couple notches on meet days."
Listed at 5'11" and 255 pounds, Patrick is no small man, but Coach Taraschke notes Patrick's quickness in the ring as one of his strengths as well. "Greg has great quickness. For a big man, he is very fast. He also is goal-oriented and has the desire to improve."
When asked why he has been able to consistently improve, Patrick points to his dedication to the sport and credits his teammates and Coach Davis. "With Coach Davis' weight program, I've gotten stronger each year. Plus, working with him and the other throwers, I have definitely improved my technique," said Patrick.
Patrick says he enjoys the camaraderie and team bonding with his throwing group and his Coach, Davis. "We spend a majority of the time together at practices and meets and we have a good variety of people with different experiences," noted Patrick.
In addition, Patrick says he enjoys competing in practice with teammate and fellow All-American, junior thrower Kevin Phipps (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial), who has automatically qualified for the 2010 Indoor National Championships in the weight throw.
"It absolutely helps having someone there who is a great competitor and who has already been to nationals," said Patrick. "We went to the outdoor nationals together last year and have become close friends."
Davis notes, "I challenge all of my athletes to review their season and determine what they could have changed to be more successful. Greg has really done a great job in realistically assessing his weaknesses and working to eliminate them."
Patrick became BW's first shot put All-American last May. "I have always had the strength and athleticism, but my technique was my weakness," said Patrick. "Now I have turned that into one of my strengths and figured out how to throw. Things are starting to come together."
His junior year between the indoor and outdoor season is when Patrick says everything began to click. During that indoor season, Patrick earned All-Ohio and All-OAC honors in the weight throw and shot put, and hit a season-best throw of 51'3", which met the NCAA provisional qualifying standard in the shot. However, his NCAA rank was not high enough to be invited to the '09 Indoor Nationals.
"I wanted to go the nationals," said Patrick. "But my body wasn't where it needed to be and my form wasn't the greatest. But from that point on and going into the outdoor season, I really picked up."
"I think the thing that sets Greg apart from most throwers at the Division III level is the combination of his focus and drive," said Davis. "Throwing events are extremely technical and can be completely frustrating at times. I have seen Greg at some very trying times and I have seen him push through that to become one of the most talented throwers that I will ever get the chance to work with."
Patrick, who is a double major in business management and accounting, had a breakout outdoor campaign in the spring of 2009. He was named the OAC Sparky Adams Field Event Athlete of the Year for his performance at the OAC Outdoor Championships, where he won the shot put (54'0") and was second both the discus (152'5") and hammer throws (163'2").
He qualified for the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the shot put and discus. He finished 13th in the discus, but in the shot put, Patrick made the final round and finished eighth, thus becoming BW's first ever All-American in the shot put. For his efforts, Patrick was named the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Now a senior, Patrick has picked up his performance once again. He and Phipps set meet records at the OAC Relay Meet in January by combining to win the weight throw relay (108'7") and shot put relay (101'4'). They were named OAC Co-Field Athletes of the Week. He is currently provisionally qualified in the shot put for the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 12-13 at DePauw (Ind.) University.
At last weekend's OAC Indoor Championships, Patrick was named the Bud Yoest Most Outstanding Field Athlete as he placed first in the shot put (54'6.75") and second in the weight throw (53'7"), both personal-bests. His indoor shot put mark reset his own school record, which he had previously broken at the Greater Cleveland Colleges Meet the week before. Patrick is now ranked fifth in the nation for the shot and has a strong chance of going to nationals.
"It's cool to have your name with a record," said Patrick. "But personally I'm more interested in getting better and hitting the big throws when it counts. As of now, I am happy with my performance this season. My throwing has improved every week and I'm looking forward to hitting some bigger marks."
He also realizes he has a unique opportunity to close out his career as BW is the host institution for the 2010 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships from May 27-29.
"I'm pretty excited for that," said Patrick. "It will be a good chance for me to end by college career by competing at the national meet. It's not often that athletes have the national meet at their home school and for me, it would be a special end to my career."
Davis concluded with his thoughts on Patrick: "Greg is physically, technically, and mentally ready to throw much further this year. All he needs to do is relax and let it happen."
In other words, don't be surprised to see Patrick's formula work and for him to once again improve.
