Kevin Robinson is talking about Gail Lee and he can't stop smiling.Specifically, the assistant track coach is talking about the young thrower's potential and he's not short on enthusiasm.
"She's probably the best female prospect we've ever had step foot on this campus," Robinson said. "She was a three-time national junior college champion and we don't usually attract that caliber of athlete around here.
"She's capable of making an Olympic team."
In her first meet as a Tiger, Lee was amazing.
The junior shot-putter destroyed the old University of Memphis of 14.03 meters when she launched the shot 16.04 meters this past weekend at the Saluki Booster Invitational in Carbondale, Ill.
The effort qualified Lee for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., March 11-12.
Another Tiger competing in his first meet made quite an impression as well. Hurdler Danny Kiss ran a 7.34 in the 55m hurdles. It was the top mark in the competition and also earned the senior a spot in the NCAAs. Kiss isn't very familiar with the 55m hurdles. The Hungarian native is more accustomed to the European 60m distance.
"It was the first time I ever ran 55 meters because in Europe we run the 60 meters. It was a personal best though, since I had never run the 55 before," Kiss joked.
High-jumper Chen Edri and 3000m runner Daniele Riendeau broke school records with a jump of 1.72m and a time of 10:12.77, respectively.
Before Lee makes her way to the NCAA Championships Lee will likely cause several records to fall.
She admitted she was surprised to set her lifetime best in her first meet as a Tiger, besting the previous school record by more than two meters.
"I was pretty surprised by the result," said Lee. "I didn't think I would do as well as I did because it was my first meet."
The whole trip almost didn't happen for Lee, a transfer from Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan.
"We didn't even get her certified until Wednesday of last week," Robinson said. "We had to run her around getting a physical and filling out the NCAA paperwork."
When she wasn't busy running around completing her paperwork and getting her transcripts finalized, Lee was reconstructing her entire throw.
With Robinson's help, Lee is scrapping the throwing technique she has used for the last two years and building a more efficient motion.
"We've only spent about a week and a half together, but she's already frustrated with me," said Robinson with a laugh. "We're making a lot of adjustments (to her technique) and it's a hard period to go through, but she's obviously already starting to respond to it."
Robinson is a former thrower himself. The former Tiger held four school records and one conference record.
For the last couple of years he had been working closely with Gaute Myklebust, the 2003 Conference USA Male outdoor Athlete of the Year.Myklebust broke Robinson's record in the outdoor shot put and holds the school record in the discus.
So you can imagine the similarities Robinson sees between Mykelbust and his newest protégé.
"Gaute was a lot more advanced technically than she is," Robinson said. "When she gets it and when she starts to develop a new pattern, there's no telling what her limitations are. It's very exciting for me right now."
