Oakdale’s Hannah Chappell defends Sac-Joaquin Section Masters title in discus

Hannah Chappell stood in the warmup line, chewing on a nail, arms folded across her chest.

She later picked at her cuticles, stamped her feet and swung her arms as she waited, biding her time until liftoff.

The Sac-Joaquin Section’s best discus thrower doesn’t have the traditional look of a state champion. She stands in the shadows of other competitors, consumed by her nervous habits.

But what she lacks in overwhelming size and bravado, the Oakdale junior makes up for with speed and near-flawless technique.

“A lot of it is based on strength and speed,” Chappell said. “My size isn’t ideal for a discus thrower. I’m not your typical discus thrower. You would think 6-foot-4. No, I’m 5-foot-4 and a competitor. That’s something I’ve always done well at, even with my other sports.”

Chappell conquered the discus yet again Friday at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Meet at Elk Grove High, taking first for the third straight season.

She won with a lifetime-best throw, whipping her discus 151 feet, 2 inches on her final throw. Her previous best was 149-6, a mark she set at Arcadia last year.

Chappell will carry the torch for the Stanislaus District at the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High in Clovis starting next Friday.

“I’ve been trying to get into the 150s all year,” she said. “It’s been frustrating. Now that I’ve hit it, I think I can stay there.”

Chappell entered the final day at Masters as the standard by which all others from high schools from Sacramento to Merced are measured.

That truth was crystallized in the moments leading up to the start of the discus event.

An El Dorado athlete huddled with her coach, analyzing Chappell’s form in hushed tones. They marveled at her speed, low-to-the-ground approach and her ability to generate sonic-boom throws from a 5-foot-4 frame.

Chappell, who finished second at state a year ago, can feel their stares. She harnesses that pressure, turning it into energy in the ring.

“There’s some pressure. ‘Oh man, she took second in state, what’s she going to do this year?’ ” she said of the whispers. “The fact that I’m a junior, it makes me think I have to keep improving.”

Chappell took control of the competition on Friday with her opening throw, shaking out the nerves with a state-qualifying toss of 134-11.

The at-large mark was 132 feet, and only four competitors advanced to state. River Valley’s Courtney Massengale, Del Oro’s Lauren Heyn and Christian Brothers’ Danielle Jackson joined her on the podium.

“I think I got better as the meet went on,” said Chappell, who spent her time between throws rehearsing her spin.

“With my first throw, I just wanted to get one in there so I could automatically go to state and then from there build and get better.”

Chappell did just that, slowly reeling in the 150-foot plateau that she has doggedly chased all season.

Her second throw landed 144 feet from the ring, ensuring her place in the final. On her first throws of the final, Chappell stretched the tape at 142-7 and 138-6 to set the mood for her final throw.

With no one behind her, Chappell calmed herself at the back of the ring before starting her approach.

Three, two, one …

Liftoff.

“I just had to relax. I was going into the throws super antsy, and on my last throw I realized I can’t approach it like that,” she said. “Discus is so much about feel and tempo and rhythm, especially with someone my size.”

Girls’ discus proved to be the marquee event of the afternoon, upstaging even the boys’ long jump, which was held simultaneously.

Umbrellas and pop-up tents lined the walkway leading into the discus. Families and coaches collected along the edge of the sector and cyclone fence, using the looking holes to frame one of the meet’s top performers.

For the third straight season, Chappell, a converted softball player, did not disappoint.

The challenge now is to put that same fear into the tape measure.

“That’s the challenge. The tape measure can keep going,” head coach and father Brett Chappell said. “It’s not the competition. It’s the tape.

“With track, you’re always testing yourself. It’s on you. Everyone is here watching you, and you have to perform on that stage.”

Don’t be fooled by those fingernails, chewed raw in anxiety – Chappell owned the stage on Friday.

Buhach’s Eastman qualifies in high jump

Stephon Eastman jumped to state with a personal-best leap in the high jump of 6 feet, 7 inches – the event’s at-large mark.

Eastman missed twice at 6-9, relinquishing any hope of finishing on the podium.

He hit 6-7 on his final attempt at that height.

“It was stressful just knowing this could be my last jump. My heart was pumping,” Eastman said. “As soon as I cleared the bar and landed, I looked up to see the bar was still there. It was such a relief. I couldn’t have been happier.”

This story was originally published May 29, 2015 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Oakdale’s Hannah Chappell defends Sac-Joaquin Section Masters title in discus."