TUCSON, Ariz. — Jea Genet threw 54.62-meters/179-2 in her first collegiate javelin competition to record BYU's No. 2 all-time mark and win the event Friday afternoon at the Willie Williams Classic.
The true freshman from Gilbert, Arizona qualified for finals on her first throw of the day with a toss of 49.41m/162-1. In the finals, Genet improved upon her previous mark each throw as she recorded 51.66m/169-6, 52.05m/170-9 and then wrapped up the competition with her winning distance of 54.62m/179-2.
"Today went better than I had ever dreamed it would," said Genet. "I’m grateful to my Savior, coach and supporters for helping me get there. I am super excited for this mark and I’m even more excited to see where this season will go."
The 2025 outdoor season will be Genet's second season throwing the javelin as the freshman learned the event in her senior year of high school. Her mark currently stands at No. 2 on the BYU record board, only behind 2022 NCAA champion Ashton Riner-Lunt's 60.36m/198-0.5 toss.
"Today it seemed like Jea believed in herself more and more each throw, slowly got through some technique cues we have talked about and was able to execute an amazing throw on her last attempt," said throws coach Niklas Arrhenius. "We’ve had a lot of amazing women javelin throwers at BYU, and the fact that she jumped to No. 2 on the BYU all-time top 10 board in her first collegiate meet just shows how amazing of a performance it was. With someone so young in age and in the event, it’s just nothing but amazing what she did today."
Teammate Alyssa Keller also competed in the javelin and placed third overall with a 47.87m/157-0 toss. Keller ranks No. 5 on the BYU top 10 board with a 51.86m/170-2 throw at last season's Big 12 championships.
Gretchen Hoekstre placed second in the shot put with a throw of 15.97m/52-4.75. The senior from Seaside, Oregon finished just 0.3m off of her outdoor personal best of 16.27m/53-4.5: a mark that ties for No. 2 all-time at BYU.
Kat Beachler placed sixth overall in the shot put. The true freshman from Omaha, Nebraska threw a lifetime best of 14.61m/47-11.25.
Other top performances include Lindsey Middleton and Annie Nuttall's eighth and ninth place finishes in the 400m hurdles with times of 1:02.44 and 1:02.48, respectively. Lia Pili placed ninth in the hammer throw with a toss of 48.80m/160-1 while Paje Rasmussen and Emily Ellis-Dalley placed 20th and 21st in the 200m. Both sprinters recorded personal bests as Rasmussen clocked 24.40 and Ellis-Dalley 24.45.
Up Next
The sprints, hurdles and throws will return for day two of the Willie Wiliams Classic Saturday in Tucson as the jumps and multis are set to compete at the Aztec Invitional Saturday in San Diego.