By Steve Sherlock,Sports Editor

As the shot left her hand, Liz Wanless felt a surge of emotion.

One day earlier, her throwing coach at the University of Florida was asked to resign under circumstances Wanless calls “unfair.” She had trouble controlling her emotions that April day earlier this year at a small meet in Clermont, Fla.

But on her fourth throw, everything came together for the Bates College graduate, who was a two-time Division III national shot put champion. Her coach, Dr. Larry Judge, later called it intervention from a higher power.

One of her Florida coaches screamed when he saw her throw. Wanless was soon rolling on the ground in tears.

The throw changed her life.

Not only did she break the Florida school record, Wanless smashed the magical 60-foot barrier for women shot putters with a throw of 60 feet, 8 inches – more than 2 feet farther than her previous best. Only 10 other Americans have ever thrown the shot beyond 60 feet.

“It was the greatest moment of my life. It was so wonderful,” Wanless said recently in a telephone interview from her home in Gainesville, Fla., still choking up from the memory of that day.

One year earlier, Wanless was a two-sport standout at Bates with dreams of continuing her throwing career after graduation. Next month, Wanless will be one of three throwers representing the U.S. at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

“I’ve tried on the USA jersey,” Wanless said. “I like how it fits.”

Bates foundation

Wanless, from Belleville, Ill., enrolled at Bates because it was one of the few schools that offered her the chance to play both volleyball and track. She was a four-time All-New England selection in volleyball, but her track career started slowly. She gave up the sport her first year, but missed the daily routine.

She returned as a sophomore and qualified for nationals. One year later, Wanless was national runner-up in the shot put.

After winning the 2004 Division III indoor title, Wanless met Judge at the Penn Relays. One of the nation’s premier throwing coaches, Judge had brought several throwers from Florida, and Wanless beat nearly every one of them. Wanless introduced herself and asked Judge about post-collegiate opportunities.

Wanless hadn’t realized that her year away from the sport had left her with another year of eligibility. She enrolled in graduate school at Florida and joined the track team.

The switch from a laid back NESCAC college to one of top athletic universities in the country wasn’t easy.

“Everything is different,” Wanless said. “The culture. The administration. The athletics. The pressure. Every aspect is different. I thought the transition would not be difficult at all. That was my first mistake.”

Growing stronger

The easy part was immersing herself into the rugged two-a-day workouts that Judge directed. She credits the work ethic that she developed at Bates with helping her adjust to the change. With volleyball out of the way, Wanless concentrated on improving her strength during the fall with an aggressive weightlifting program. The change was dramatic.

“We probably did three years worth of training in one year,” Judge said. “That was because her focus was as a one-sport athlete.”

Wanless, 23, added nearly 30 pounds on her 5-foot-10 frame. She can now leap and grab hold of a basketball rim.

Pleased with the coaching she received at Bates, Judge made a few minor adjustments with her technique to take advantage of her increased strength.

The results were dramatic and immediate. Her best throw at Bates was 53-2, but in her second Florida competition, Wanless topped 57 feet.

“It was such a big jump from the week before and from last year,” Wanless said. “I knew all that training was worth it. I knew there were more big throws on the horizon.”

Breakout

The big throws waited until the outdoor season after she placed fourth at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships. Still adjusting to her increased strength, Wanless’ technique suddenly came together, first with a 58-footer in early April.

Then came her first 60-foot throw that placed her atop the list of collegiate throwers.

“No one expects someone to improve 8 feet in a year, but I set some lofty goals for Liz,” Judge said.

But with Judge no longer coaching at Florida, Wanless and another thrower quit the team to keep training with Judge. Despite missing the Southeast Conference and the NCAA championships, Wanless says she has no regrets.

With a second throw surpassing 60 feet, Wanless entered the U.S. Championships in June as one of the favorites, but she had little experience competing at that level. Admitting she was nervous, she struggled and was sitting in fifth place after three throws. The top three qualified for the World Championships.

She finally moved up to second on her fourth throw before putting everything together to take the lead with a toss of 59-6. Two competitors beat that with their final throw, but Wanless had qualified for the U.S. team.

“Making that goal was a realization of all that hard work,” Wanless said. “It was a great moment for Coach Judge and myself.”

Wanless is currently ranked second in the U.S. and 18th in the world. She heads to Hungary later this month to continue training and to compete in a few European meets before Helsinki. The women’s shot put is scheduled for Aug. 13.

Adjusting to life as a post-collegiate athlete, she has hooked on with the New York Athletic Club, and Judge’s connections have helped secure a valuable sponsorship deal with Nike.

“Female throwers are not exactly the highlight of the track arena,” she said. “The importance of the sponsors is keeping the dream alive.”

Also helping her dream is the support system she has in place, beginning with her parents and Judge, and including friends from Bates and her former Bates coaches – volleyball coach Jen Bowman, track coach Caroline Court and throwing coaches Jane and Ed Jawor.

“I’m definitely blessed,” Wanless said. “I am so lucky to have found so many supportive coaches. I couldn’t have done this without them.

“I’ve fallen in love with this. I can’t see myself doing anything else.”