Photo of Jane Fahy courtesy of Kaleigh Sturtevant.

Graduate student from Oriskany Jane Fahy not only holds the top mark in the NCAA Division III, but also recently beat her own record of 14.28m. for shot put with her toss of 14.32m. The toss also earned her first place in the Hamilton Continental Invite Saturday, March 30. 

Throughout her time at Utica, Fahy has earned two all-region team appearances, the Empire 8 Field Athlete of the Year title and the All-American shot put award. Prior, she won the CSC discus, shot put, and two-time CSC Most Outstanding Field Athlete competitions while in high school. She also earned the Track and Field MVP title at MVCC before transferring to Utica. 

“To set a record at Utica is a way to leave your mark on the program itself,” Fahy said. “Coming to Utica, it was my goal to have both indoor and outdoor shot put records and to continue increasing them during my collegiate career.” 

Her coaches and teammates say her level of commitment for her sport is unmatched. She puts in countless hours on the track and strives to be the best.

“It is a blessing that I am able to do so with so much consistency,” Fahy said.

Head coach James Lemieux said her determination carried her to second place at the Nationals.

“When she had her big throw at AARTFC just one week prior to Nationals, we both knew we were ready to go and take a shot at winning the whole thing,” Lemieux said.

According to assistant coach Dave Brannigan, “no other athlete on this campus works as hard as her.” He believes that Fahy will become Utica’s first national champion this outdoor season.

Teammate Laura Meade said Fahy is among the most dedicated athletes she has ever met.

 “She is constantly at the dome working to get better; she really leads by example in her work ethic,” Meade said. “​​With her hard work and dedication, it makes everyone else around her get better every day.”

Fahy said her time on the team has allowed her to set a bar. 

“I hope I leave behind an example of what hard work looks like along with the success that comes with it,” Faye said. “I want my teammates to succeed and I want them to work hard for it.”

The entire team has made significant strides. In both of their outdoor meets this season, there have been several all-time top ten performances in program history. They were ranked third going into the indoor conference championship meet, and they finished second. They achieved their best team finish by ten places, placing fourth at the AARTFC championships just a week later. 

Lemieux said the team is just getting started. 

“Jane’s first throw of the outdoor season broke her own school and conference record, and at the time was the #1 throw in the country,” Lemieux said. “We are dialing in for something special down the road for sure.”