Shadae Lawrence smashed her own three-week-old national record on Saturday when she threw a massive 65.05m to win the women’s discus throw event at Mountain West Conference outdoors track and field championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Fresno, California.

The Colorado State University (CSU) senior added an incredible 1.16m to the 63.89m that she had thrown at Mt Sac Relays in Torrance, California on April 20, setting a number of new records in the process.

The former Edwin Allen High and Hydel High thrower, who transferred from Kansas State in August 2018, set a new Mountain West Championship record, bettering the 59.92m set by Kiah Hicks, also of CSU in 2015, and also beat the all-time Mountain West mark she had set last month.

Saturday’s throw that came in the first round ranks her number five in the world on the IAAF performance charts and is also the best in the NCAA by almost three metres.

She fouled the second attempt before another big throw in the third round of 63.42m, then finishing with 60.81m, 60.40m and 57.67m, all of which would have won her the title.

On April 20 the IAAF Athletics Cup representative broke the two-year-old record of 62.73m that was set by Kellion Knibb at the JAAA National Senior Trials in 2017.

The Mt Sac Relays mark had also improved on Lawrence’s then best of 62.59m from 2017.

Also on Saturday, former national junior representatives Shanice Love and Roje Stona won the women’s and men’s discus throw titles, respectively, at the Atlantic Coast Conference outdoors championships at the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville.

Love, a junior at Florida State University, threw 58.83m to retain her title with a brilliant series that saw her finish with three throws over 58.00 metres.

Stona, a freshman at Clemson University, won his first NCAA title, coming back from fouls on his first two throws to win with 58.44m, by a comfortable margin.

—Paul Reid