Tausaga continues stellar senior season
The Iowa thrower received her second-straight Midwest Regional Female Track Athlete of the Year honor last week and is looking to carry that momentum into the NCAAs.
Iowa thrower Laulauga Tausaga competes in the women’s shot put premiere during the fourth annual Larry Wieczorek Invitational at the University of Iowa Recreation Building on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. Tausaga’s 16.72m throw earned her sixth place, behind five throwers who surpassed the previous meet record of 17.13m.
March 10, 2020
For the second year in a row, Iowa senior thrower Laulauga Tausaga was named the Midwest Regional Female Track Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Receiving the honor twice marks the first time in Iowa history where a female track athlete has won the regional honor consecutively.
“It’s amazing seeing that my efforts are being shown,” Tausaga said. “But, at the same time, it kind of gives me a sense that something is right. Like when all else fails, you know that you’re progressing the way that you need to. It may not be where I want to be, but I know that people see that I’m trying to be better, that I’m trying to get better. I guess that’s just the whole of the season, just trying to better myself each time I step in the ring from the last time.”
Tausaga’s recognition on March 6 for her 2019-20 indoor season reminds her to enjoy the moment while she’s working toward her ultimate goals.
RELATED: Tausaga named Midwest Field Athlete of the Year
However, the California native shared that she was disappointed with her shot put outcome at the 2020 Big Ten Indoor Championships on Feb. 29 despite finishing second (17.37) and getting first-place in the weight throw event (22.21).
“I felt like it was kind of the opposite of what we planned,” Tausaga said. “I was coming in with the understanding that we understood that we wanted to do big things in the weight, but we wanted to monopolize on the shot, because that was the event we really wanted to get going this year. But compared to my series of meets leading up to it, I’m in a much better headspace than last year.
“Obviously it wasn’t the outcome that I wanted, but overall, this is the second time in my career that I’ve done anything to deserve a medal on that Big Ten podium, and this time I got gold in one event, so I can count my blessings that way.”
Tausaga’s throws coach Eric Werskey affirmed that the results weren’t what they both anticipated, but he was still content with the results.
“I thought she did very, very well at Big Tens,” Werskey said. “She still came away with a title. It all kind of worked out. The seeds for her kind of flip-flopped. She went in first-seeded in the shot, got second, but still got first in the weight, so it was the opposite of what we thought it’d be.”
Tausaga and her teammates were in Ohio Feb. 28-29, competing against some of the best collegiate field athletes in the nation. to Werskey said the women’s Big Ten shot is the most competitive among all NCAA conferences, and he said he limited her throws to preserve her form and prevent back straining for the indoor national meet.
“Moving forward, she’s been in much better spirits,” Werskey said. “Her body is feeling a lot better, so I’m very excited for her NCAA championships this upcoming week.
As far as the USTFCCCA honor goes, Tausaga’s coach said that he’s proud of her pushing the program forward.
“She’s been committed on a whole other level from a year ago and certainly two years ago, so it’s been awesome to see her maturity and growth, and hopefully we’ll continue to add to that accolade list,” Werskey said.
