Work in weight room pays off for Pawnee City's Musil
It’s only fitting that the pronunciation of Samantha Musil’s last name is “muscle.’’
There’s no question that the Pawnee City senior’s dedication in the weight room has made her stronger than a year ago. The proof is in her performance — personal bests in both the discus (157 feet, 2 inches) and the shot put (45-2). Her discus toss, a Class D girls state record, leads this spring’s state chart. Her mark in the shot put is the best Class D effort this season and third overall in the state.
In charts published in late April, Musil’s discus mark is third nationally, a good reason why the Georgia Tech recruit was pursued by a number of NCAA Division I programs.
Her twin brother, Michael, would also attest to her sister’s strength, at least according to Samantha.
“Michael is scared of me now,’’ said a laughing Samantha, who admitted that she’s had a few fights with her brothers Bobby (a thrower at the University of Missouri), Michael and younger brother John, a freshman.
“He (Michael) says my arms are bigger than his.’’
While pure power plays a part in her throwing success, Samantha’s general athleticism further explains her speed and explosion in the ring. The 5-foot-11 Musil was a second-team Class D-1 all-stater in volleyball as a hard-hitting middle blocker. She earned all-state honorable mention in basketball this past winter after averaging 14.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in leading the Indians to a 12-8 record.
Musil is the two-time defending Class D champion in the discus and added her first state shot put gold medal last season. She, however, does not live on the throws alone.
Like her 6-2 twin brother, Samantha also runs the 400-meter dash and the 800. She’s been part of Pawnee City’s 3,200 relay teams that have finished third at state the last two years. Samantha spends almost as much time in practice training for her running events as she does on the shot put and discus.
Both years, the Class D girls discus was going on at the same time as the relay. The combination almost got Samantha in trouble during last year’s hot weather because she overheated in the relay. She had to get iced down in the team’s tent before she threw.
“That was the worst feeling I’ve ever had. I felt like I was going to black out,’’ said Musil, whose goals this season are 160 feet in the discus and 47 feet in the shot. “It was bad at the time, but looking back, it was fun.’’
Coach Alan Strong, however, still doesn’t see the fun over what happened a year ago at state. That’s why he probably won’t put Musil on the 3,200 relay at districts and state and instead have her run on the 1,600 relay, the final event of the state meet.
“We want to give her every opportunity to succeed in the throws,’’ said Strong, who coaches Musil along with throws coach Mark Leonard. “Sam loves to run and score points for the team, but we have to be careful not to overdo it. If we run her too much, it tears her down in the throws.’’
Samantha was a runner first in track until she tried the throws at a school field day in sixth grade. “I was a fat little kid, so it was better that I got into the throws,’’ Musil said, kiddingly.
The throws eventually earned her a college scholarship, although her 4.0 grade-point average and No. 1 class rank would’ve also garnered some academic money. She chose Georgia Tech over Colorado State, Duke and Missouri.
Samantha admits that after living in tiny DuBois her entire life, adjusting to Atlanta this fall might be difficult.
“I don’t like big cities, I’ve always been someone who likes the country and wide-open spaces,’’ Musil said. “It will be a big change.’’
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
There’s no question that the Pawnee City senior’s dedication in the weight room has made her stronger than a year ago. The proof is in her performance — personal bests in both the discus (157 feet, 2 inches) and the shot put (45-2). Her discus toss, a Class D girls state record, leads this spring’s state chart. Her mark in the shot put is the best Class D effort this season and third overall in the state.
In charts published in late April, Musil’s discus mark is third nationally, a good reason why the Georgia Tech recruit was pursued by a number of NCAA Division I programs.
Her twin brother, Michael, would also attest to her sister’s strength, at least according to Samantha.
“Michael is scared of me now,’’ said a laughing Samantha, who admitted that she’s had a few fights with her brothers Bobby (a thrower at the University of Missouri), Michael and younger brother John, a freshman.
“He (Michael) says my arms are bigger than his.’’
While pure power plays a part in her throwing success, Samantha’s general athleticism further explains her speed and explosion in the ring. The 5-foot-11 Musil was a second-team Class D-1 all-stater in volleyball as a hard-hitting middle blocker. She earned all-state honorable mention in basketball this past winter after averaging 14.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in leading the Indians to a 12-8 record.
Musil is the two-time defending Class D champion in the discus and added her first state shot put gold medal last season. She, however, does not live on the throws alone.
Like her 6-2 twin brother, Samantha also runs the 400-meter dash and the 800. She’s been part of Pawnee City’s 3,200 relay teams that have finished third at state the last two years. Samantha spends almost as much time in practice training for her running events as she does on the shot put and discus.
Both years, the Class D girls discus was going on at the same time as the relay. The combination almost got Samantha in trouble during last year’s hot weather because she overheated in the relay. She had to get iced down in the team’s tent before she threw.
“That was the worst feeling I’ve ever had. I felt like I was going to black out,’’ said Musil, whose goals this season are 160 feet in the discus and 47 feet in the shot. “It was bad at the time, but looking back, it was fun.’’
Coach Alan Strong, however, still doesn’t see the fun over what happened a year ago at state. That’s why he probably won’t put Musil on the 3,200 relay at districts and state and instead have her run on the 1,600 relay, the final event of the state meet.
“We want to give her every opportunity to succeed in the throws,’’ said Strong, who coaches Musil along with throws coach Mark Leonard. “Sam loves to run and score points for the team, but we have to be careful not to overdo it. If we run her too much, it tears her down in the throws.’’
Samantha was a runner first in track until she tried the throws at a school field day in sixth grade. “I was a fat little kid, so it was better that I got into the throws,’’ Musil said, kiddingly.
The throws eventually earned her a college scholarship, although her 4.0 grade-point average and No. 1 class rank would’ve also garnered some academic money. She chose Georgia Tech over Colorado State, Duke and Missouri.
Samantha admits that after living in tiny DuBois her entire life, adjusting to Atlanta this fall might be difficult.
“I don’t like big cities, I’ve always been someone who likes the country and wide-open spaces,’’ Musil said. “It will be a big change.’’
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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