Former Toll Gate High all-stater Courtney Jacobsen is among the U.S. contingent that will be competing in Peru this weekend at the Pan American Junior Championships, held Friday to Sunday. With a her best of 59.64 meters (195 feet, 8 inches), Jacobsen is the No. 6 seed in a field of 11 athletes.
The 19-year-old Jacobsen, who earned her berth to the Pan Am meet by finishing second at the USTAF Junior Track & Field Championships, is coming off a very successful freshman campaign at the University of Michigan. In her first year for the Wolverines, she twice achieved her PR in the hammer by placing third at the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge and fifth at the Longhorn Invitational. She also placed third (177-7) at the Battle of the Blues, finished sixth (184-8.5) at the Texas Invitational and eighth (187-1.25) at the Big Ten Championships.
Jacobsen, who won the R.I. state hammer title as a senior for the Titans in 2016, certainly has a chance to place high this weekend. A little more than a meter separates the second through sixth seeds in the competition. The No. 1 seed and overwhelming favorite for the title is Cuba's Ayamey Medina Roca, who has a best of 65.85 meters.
The hammer competition is scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m. EST.