Throwing a shot put, discus or hammer is as individualistic as any event in sports. Yet for associate head coach Mike Koenning, team chemistry is an important aspect of having a successful throwing season — it keeps team morale up.

“It’s hard to have a bad day when you have teammates that are having a good day,” Koenning said. “If we had a very small group and you were practicing by yourself it could be hard. Having the other people around and seeing everyone else doing well, it helps.”

The group comprises 14 athletes all together. Koenning said they don’t always train as a group but rather they break into smaller groups.

“On technique days it’s five or six throwers together,” Koenning said. “If three people are having a good day then it pulls up the other people, it makes for a good day for everyone.”

Senior thrower Jeff Kluge acknowledged the importance of teammates in keeping everyone working hard but still maintaining friendliness.

“They know what you should do and they expect you to perform at a certain level. If you don’t, then they hold you accountable,” Kluge said. “On the other side of that, they’re always there to support you. They know if you’re having a bad day, they know what to say to pick you up.”

The team hopes its chemistry will lead to good results this Friday when it sends only the throwers down to Ames, Iowa to compete in the Iowa State University Holiday Preview.

Koenning said he wasn’t comfortable only participating in one meet before the semester break, which is why the throwers are participating in two meets, when the rest of the team only competed in one.

“If you were nervous the first meet, this gives you a chance to rebound, work off what you did in the last meet and get a little bit better,” Koenning said. “I didn’t want to go to one meet and then dwell on it through the whole break. I wanted to rebound (from the Blue & Gold Invitational) and come back ready for this meet.”

One thrower who hopes to rebound from a rough first outing is sophomore Dave Carbajal.

Carbajal said a neck injury that stemmed from dropping 315 pounds on his neck while lifting weights affected his performance, which resulted in a no decision. At this event he hopes to qualify for the Big East Indoor Championships in both the shot put and the weight throw.

Kluge, on the other hand, has already qualified for the Indoor Championships in the weight throw. Now his focus is on fine tuning his technique and setting a personal record on Friday.