Kayla Velasquez

Photo by: Brad Phalin, BGSU Marketing and Communications

Position:
Throws
Class:
Redshirt Senior
High School:
Licking Heights
Hometown:
Blacklick, Ohio

2016-17: (Indoor) Competed in the weight throw, placing fourth at the MAC Championships in the event … Threw 60-feet-4.75 at the MAC Championships to finish fourth and help the Falcons to take three of the top four spots at the league’s final meet … Set a personal best with a distance of 61-2.25 to place second at the Akron Invitational … Won the Tom Wright Classic at 59-9 and finished second in the BG Opener. (Outdoor) Second-team All-MAC … Competed in the discus and hammer throw for the Falcons, earning a spot on the podium at the MAC Championships in both events … Runner-up at the MAC Championships in the hammer throw, earning a bid to the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round by throwing a career-best 191-feet-9 (58.45m) … Her mark of 191-9 moved her to second all-time at BGSU in the hammer throw … Completed her career by throwing 173-0 (52.75m) at the NCAA regional meet, placing 41st … Runner-up in the hammer throw at both the UT Dual and the Kip Janvrin Open … Finished eighth at the MAC Championships in the discus with a season-best throw of 146-7.75 (44.70m) … Also threw 144-10 at the Kip Janvrin Open in the discus.

2015-16: (Indoor) Threw weight throw for the Falcons, placing fifth at the MAC Championships … Distance of 58-feet-10.25 was a personal best … Won the Akron Invitational and the Tom Wright Open … Exceeded the MAC automatic qualifying mark five times … Threw as far as 58-2.5 in the regular season, finishing second at the Findlay Classic. (Outdoor) Threw the discus and hammer, qualifying for NCAA Regionals in the hammer throw … Placed 40^th at the NCAA East Region preliminary meet in the hammer throw, entering as the No. 44 seed … Set a personal best in the hammer at the MAC Championships, placing fifth overall at 186-feet-6 … Won the hammer at the Toledo Dual, with a then-PR 185-6 … Placed second in the hammer at the Jesse Owens Classic and the Toledo Invitational … In the discus, won the Ashland Alumni Open with a season-best mark of 146-1.

2014-15: (Indoor) Threw the weight throw for the Falcons, placing seventh at the MAC Championships in the event for a spot on the podium … Threw a career-best 57-feet-0.75 at the MAC Championships to earn that result … Won the BG Opener with a weight throw performance of 56-11.5 to secure a MAC automatic qualifying mark. (Outdoor) Threw both the discus and hammer for the Falcons, qualifying for the MAC Championships in both events … In the hammer, placed ninth at the MAC Championships with a mark of 181-feet-6 … Hit the MAC automatic qualifying mark in the hammer three times during the regular season … Won the hammer throw twice, including a personal best mark of 182-8.75 at the Toledo Invitational … That mark places her eighth in school history in the event … Also won the hammer at the Jesse Owens Classic with a throw of 182-0 … Had a season-best toss in the discus of 136-9 at the Tennessee Relays … Placed 19th in the discus at the MAC Championships with a mark of 124-4.

2013-14: (Indoor) Redshirted. (Outdoor) Redshirted.

2012-13: (Indoor) Competed in the weight throw … Established a personal best of 50-feet at the EMU Holiday Eagle Meet … Improved to 51-11.25 at the Simmons-Harvey Invitational and then threw a season-best 53-1.5 at the Akron Invitational. (Outdoor) Threw the discus and hammer throw, qualifying for the MAC Championships in both events, setting personal bests in both at the meet and scoring a point in the discus … Opened the year with a throw of 122-1 in the discus at the UC Early Bird Relays and then set new personal bests four more times … Won the Toledo Dual meet in the discus with a throw of 131-1 in horrible weather conditions … Set personal bests at the Toledo Collegiate Challenge (138-0), the Northeast Ohio Invitational (142-11) and the Jesse Owens Classic (143-1) in the discus … At the MAC Championships, shattered her personal best with a throw of 147-8 to place eighth in the discus … Established her collegiate best in the hammer throw with a toss of 162-8 at the Toledo Collegiate Challenge and improved to 162-10 at the Toledo Invitational … At the MAC Championships, pushed her personal best to 166-2 and finished 13th in the hammer.

High School: Earned four varsity letters at Licking Heights High School ... Set personal bests with throws of 34-11.5 in the shot put, 133-7 in discus, and 47-0 in the weight throw ... First-team all-league in 2010 and 2012 ... School record-holder in the discus ... Two-time Licking County champion and regional qualifer from 2010-12 ... USA Track and Field Junior Olympic National qualifier.

Personal: Full name is Kayla Marie Velasquez ... Born July 20, 1994 ... Daughter of Carlos and Jessica Velasquez ... Has one brother, Alejandro ... Sport management major.

PERSONAL BESTS
Indoor
Weight throw: 61-2.25 (18.65), Akron Invitational (2/4/17)
Outdoor
Discus: 147-8 (45.02), MAC Championships (5/11/13)
Hammer throw: 191-9 (58.45), MAC Championships (5/11/17)