Andale’s Katelyn Fairchild earns NCAA All-America status with Kansas state record throw
A career-best throw by Texas A&M sophomore Katelyn Fairchild has vaulted the Andale native into a new stratosphere in the realm of women’s javelin.
Seeded outside of the podium entering the NCAA Div. I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Fairchild delivered her best on the biggest stage with a mark of 190 feet, 2 inches to finish third overall in women’s javelin and secure first team All-American status.
Fairchild was also the top American finisher in the meet, as she tacked on more than six feet to her personal-best throw to move up to No. 4 in the women’s javelin rankings in the United States this year.
Not only that, but Fairchild’s toss of 190-2 appears to be the longest javelin throw by a woman from Kansas in the state’s history. St. James Academy graduate Jenna Gray was believed to have the record with her 187-11 mark while throwing for Stanford at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
“It was just an amazing moment,” Fairchild told The Eagle after her breakthrough meet in Austin, Texas. “I can credit my family for being so supportive and growing up with so many siblings, learning how to show up when it’s important. But I also have to credit Andale. Obviously we have a very good track program and they prepare you physically and mentally, so I am very thankful for my high school years and working with coach Robby Spexarth.”
Fairchild won two straight state titles in the javelin while at Andale, breaking the Class 4A state meet record her senior year with a throw of 170 feet even. Her career-best mark of 175-4 stands as the second-longest throw in Kansas high school history.
In her second season in College Station, Fairchild began to take off in the event. She cleared 183 feet in her final three competitions leading up to the national meet, including a personal-best throw of 184 feet even to qualify at the NCAA West preliminaries.
She was confident another improvement was coming at the national meet.
“Everybody is always imagining and manifesting that you’re going to have this big throw at nationals,” Fairchild said. “All season I knew I could throw bigger than what I had been throwing. I knew I had it in me, so I was really confident and had a really positive mindset and some good, positive talks to myself.”
Any pressure she was feeling in the build-up to the competition was relieved when Fairchild’s opening throw sailed 187-1. She entered with the ninth-best throw of the season, but stood in fourth place in the field of 24 after the first round of finals.
On the fourth throw of the competition, everything clicked for Fairchild.
Her head was clear on the runway, her phases felt smooth, her left arm — an area of focus — was tucked and she exploded through the throw. She knew she had cranked one but didn’t immediately know just how far until she heard the hysteric screams from her family in the stands.
“I definitely knew it was my best throw, but I didn’t know it was going to be 190,” Fairchild said. “I just remember hearing my family cheering from the stands and they have a better perspective on how far it went, so I knew it must have been a big one. Then I waited around for it to come up on the board and when I saw 190, it was just a big wave of relief and a, ‘Thank you, Lord.’ Everything just came together.”
Making the feat even more impressive is that Fairchild said she was competing through pain, as she will take the summer to recover from injuries to both of her legs.
She has plans of training in Lithuania later this summer, as she inches closer to joining the 200-foot club in the javelin, which would make her a serious contender to potentially represent the United States in the 2024 Olympics. Fairchild qualified for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials as an 18-year-old recent high school graduate, but has rapidly become one of the top Americans in the event.
Her younger sister, McKenzie, who owns the 10th-longest javelin throw in state history with her mark of 169-4, is set to join Katelyn at Texas A&M next season. McKenzie recently swept all three of the throwing events to win the 4A titles in the shot put, discus and javelin for the second straight year.
A pair of Shockers bring home All-American honors
The Wichita State track and field team qualified a pair of small-town Kansas kids to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and both came away with All-American honors.
El Dorado native Destiny Masters, a Bluestem graduate, earned second team All-American recognition with a 16th-place finish in the women’s high jump, clearing the bar on her final attempt at 5-11¼.
In the men’s high jump field, Beloit native Brady Palen finished in 18th place after clearing the bar at 6-11 to earn honorable mention All-American status.
This story was originally published June 12, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
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