Winning a pair of NCAA championships puts Kansas University’s Scott Russell in an elite class of athletes at his alma mater.
Russell, who graduated last Sunday, snared his second NCAA championship on Thursday, winning the javelin throw at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor at LSU’s track.
Earlier this year, Russell, the Jayhawks’ 6-foot-9 gentle giant from Windsor, Ontario, won the Indoor weight throw.
He’s the first person in NCAA history to win those two events and is now one of just four Jayhawk weightmen in history to win multiple national titles.
Karl Salb (1969-73) won three NCAA Outdoor shot put titles and three indoor shot crowns. Al Oerter (1957-58) claimed two outdoor discus titles, and Bill Alley (1959-60) won two outdoor javelin crowns.
“Scott Russell deserves every bit of the painting he’ll have hanging in the (KU) Hall of Fame,” Kansas throws coach Doug Reynolds said Friday after watching Russell win Thursday night’s javelin with a throw of 262 feet.
“He may be the greatest (thrower) in KU history. Guys like Salb and Oerter those guys were unbelievable. I think he is right there. He is the next Al Oerter this generation’s Al Oerter Karl Salb to KU.”
Canadian Olympic hopeful Russell was ecstatic after recording the ninth best javelin throw in NCAA Outdoor history. His weight throw of 80-111/4 was the best in NCAA Indoor history.
“This is what I aimed to do at the beginning of the season when we set goals,” Russell said. “My main goals were to win the weight and javelin. Winning this is the highlight. The javelin is my main event. It’s pretty clutch to come out and complete my NCAA career with a victory.”
Russell, whose six throws were each over 230 feet, beat runner-up Nathan Junius of Texas by 17 feet. His opening throw of 251 was good enough to win the competition.
“Honestly, to have the series I had was great, but I would have taken a horrible series if it meant winning,” Russell said. “My technique was far from perfect. Definitely, I think I have a lot left.”
Russell will be competing at the Canadian nationals in three weeks and will continue working out at KU next season as an unattached athlete.
For now, he’ll relish in his second national championship.
“He pretty much owned this competition from the first throw,” Reynolds said of Russell, who has a personal best heave of 267-11 attained last summer in Canada. “I think there were a handful of guys who had the potential to be in there. He did a great job getting a great throw in the second round. That put it away. He continued to rain ’em down after that.
“I never relaxed,” Russell said. “There were a lot of good competitors capable of keeping the pressure on me.”
A pressure performer, Russell just might be competing in the next Olympics.
“We are not close to tapping out for the year, much less career-wise,” Reynolds said.
“I’ll continue working with coach Reynolds,” Russell said. “Red-shirting last year gave me another year to train under coach Reynolds. “He’s showed he’s a great coach and I look forward to the future.”
Winning a pair of NCAA championships puts Kansas University’s Scott Russell in an elite class of athletes at his alma mater.
Russell, who graduated last Sunday, snared his second NCAA championship on Thursday, winning the javelin throw at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor at LSU’s track.
Earlier this year, Russell, the Jayhawks’ 6-foot-9 gentle giant from Windsor, Ontario, won the Indoor weight throw.
He’s the first person in NCAA history to win those two events and is now one of just four Jayhawk weightmen in history to win multiple national titles.
Karl Salb (1969-73) won three NCAA Outdoor shot put titles and three indoor shot crowns. Al Oerter (1957-58) claimed two outdoor discus titles, and Bill Alley (1959-60) won two outdoor javelin crowns.
“Scott Russell deserves every bit of the painting he’ll have hanging in the (KU) Hall of Fame,” Kansas throws coach Doug Reynolds said Friday after watching Russell win Thursday night’s javelin with a throw of 262 feet.
“He may be the greatest (thrower) in KU history. Guys like Salb and Oerter those guys were unbelievable. I think he is right there. He is the next Al Oerter this generation’s Al Oerter Karl Salb to KU.”
Canadian Olympic hopeful Russell was ecstatic after recording the ninth best javelin throw in NCAA Outdoor history. His weight throw of 80-111/4 was the best in NCAA Indoor history.
“This is what I aimed to do at the beginning of the season when we set goals,” Russell said. “My main goals were to win the weight and javelin. Winning this is the highlight. The javelin is my main event. It’s pretty clutch to come out and complete my NCAA career with a victory.”
Russell, whose six throws were each over 230 feet, beat runner-up Nathan Junius of Texas by 17 feet. His opening throw of 251 was good enough to win the competition.
“Honestly, to have the series I had was great, but I would have taken a horrible series if it meant winning,” Russell said. “My technique was far from perfect. Definitely, I think I have a lot left.”
Russell will be competing at the Canadian nationals in three weeks and will continue working out at KU next season as an unattached athlete.
For now, he’ll relish in his second national championship.
“He pretty much owned this competition from the first throw,” Reynolds said of Russell, who has a personal best heave of 267-11 attained last summer in Canada. “I think there were a handful of guys who had the potential to be in there. He did a great job getting a great throw in the second round. That put it away. He continued to rain ’em down after that.
“I never relaxed,” Russell said. “There were a lot of good competitors capable of keeping the pressure on me.”
A pressure performer, Russell just might be competing in the next Olympics.
“We are not close to tapping out for the year, much less career-wise,” Reynolds said.
“I’ll continue working with coach Reynolds,” Russell said. “Red-shirting last year gave me another year to train under coach Reynolds. “He’s showed he’s a great coach and I look forward to the future.”
Winning a pair of NCAA championships puts Kansas University’s Scott Russell in an elite class of athletes at his alma mater.
Russell, who graduated last Sunday, snared his second NCAA championship on Thursday, winning the javelin throw at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor at LSU’s track.
Earlier this year, Russell, the Jayhawks’ 6-foot-9 gentle giant from Windsor, Ontario, won the Indoor weight throw.
He’s the first person in NCAA history to win those two events and is now one of just four Jayhawk weightmen in history to win multiple national titles.
Karl Salb (1969-73) won three NCAA Outdoor shot put titles and three indoor shot crowns. Al Oerter (1957-58) claimed two outdoor discus titles, and Bill Alley (1959-60) won two outdoor javelin crowns.
“Scott Russell deserves every bit of the painting he’ll have hanging in the (KU) Hall of Fame,” Kansas throws coach Doug Reynolds said Friday after watching Russell win Thursday night’s javelin with a throw of 262 feet.
“He may be the greatest (thrower) in KU history. Guys like Salb and Oerter those guys were unbelievable. I think he is right there. He is the next Al Oerter this generation’s Al Oerter Karl Salb to KU.”
Canadian Olympic hopeful Russell was ecstatic after recording the ninth best javelin throw in NCAA Outdoor history. His weight throw of 80-111/4 was the best in NCAA Indoor history.
“This is what I aimed to do at the beginning of the season when we set goals,” Russell said. “My main goals were to win the weight and javelin. Winning this is the highlight. The javelin is my main event. It’s pretty clutch to come out and complete my NCAA career with a victory.”
Russell, whose six throws were each over 230 feet, beat runner-up Nathan Junius of Texas by 17 feet. His opening throw of 251 was good enough to win the competition.
“Honestly, to have the series I had was great, but I would have taken a horrible series if it meant winning,” Russell said. “My technique was far from perfect. Definitely, I think I have a lot left.”
Russell will be competing at the Canadian nationals in three weeks and will continue working out at KU next season as an unattached athlete.
For now, he’ll relish in his second national championship.
“He pretty much owned this competition from the first throw,” Reynolds said of Russell, who has a personal best heave of 267-11 attained last summer in Canada. “I think there were a handful of guys who had the potential to be in there. He did a great job getting a great throw in the second round. That put it away. He continued to rain ’em down after that.
“I never relaxed,” Russell said. “There were a lot of good competitors capable of keeping the pressure on me.”
A pressure performer, Russell just might be competing in the next Olympics.
“We are not close to tapping out for the year, much less career-wise,” Reynolds said.
“I’ll continue working with coach Reynolds,” Russell said. “Red-shirting last year gave me another year to train under coach Reynolds. “He’s showed he’s a great coach and I look forward to the future.”
Winning a pair of NCAA championships puts Kansas University’s Scott Russell in an elite class of athletes at his alma mater.
Russell, who graduated last Sunday, snared his second NCAA championship on Thursday, winning the javelin throw at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor at LSU’s track.
Earlier this year, Russell, the Jayhawks’ 6-foot-9 gentle giant from Windsor, Ontario, won the Indoor weight throw.
He’s the first person in NCAA history to win those two events and is now one of just four Jayhawk weightmen in history to win multiple national titles.
Karl Salb (1969-73) won three NCAA Outdoor shot put titles and three indoor shot crowns. Al Oerter (1957-58) claimed two outdoor discus titles, and Bill Alley (1959-60) won two outdoor javelin crowns.
“Scott Russell deserves every bit of the painting he’ll have hanging in the (KU) Hall of Fame,” Kansas throws coach Doug Reynolds said Friday after watching Russell win Thursday night’s javelin with a throw of 262 feet.
“He may be the greatest (thrower) in KU history. Guys like Salb and Oerter those guys were unbelievable. I think he is right there. He is the next Al Oerter this generation’s Al Oerter Karl Salb to KU.”
Canadian Olympic hopeful Russell was ecstatic after recording the ninth best javelin throw in NCAA Outdoor history. His weight throw of 80-111/4 was the best in NCAA Indoor history.
“This is what I aimed to do at the beginning of the season when we set goals,” Russell said. “My main goals were to win the weight and javelin. Winning this is the highlight. The javelin is my main event. It’s pretty clutch to come out and complete my NCAA career with a victory.”
Russell, whose six throws were each over 230 feet, beat runner-up Nathan Junius of Texas by 17 feet. His opening throw of 251 was good enough to win the competition.
“Honestly, to have the series I had was great, but I would have taken a horrible series if it meant winning,” Russell said. “My technique was far from perfect. Definitely, I think I have a lot left.”
Russell will be competing at the Canadian nationals in three weeks and will continue working out at KU next season as an unattached athlete.
For now, he’ll relish in his second national championship.
“He pretty much owned this competition from the first throw,” Reynolds said of Russell, who has a personal best heave of 267-11 attained last summer in Canada. “I think there were a handful of guys who had the potential to be in there. He did a great job getting a great throw in the second round. That put it away. He continued to rain ’em down after that.
“I never relaxed,” Russell said. “There were a lot of good competitors capable of keeping the pressure on me.”
A pressure performer, Russell just might be competing in the next Olympics.
“We are not close to tapping out for the year, much less career-wise,” Reynolds said.
“I’ll continue working with coach Reynolds,” Russell said. “Red-shirting last year gave me another year to train under coach Reynolds. “He’s showed he’s a great coach and I look forward to the future.”
