Junior Nakel McClinton and senior Laura Schroeder are throws teammates, and they have been performing exceptionally well this season.
Entering the season, McClinton held the school record in the hammer throw, but at the first meet of the outdoor season, the Pac 12 vs. Big Ten Invitational at Arizona State, Schroeder broke the record. Two weeks later, after a week in which neither competed, McClinton took the record back at the Tiger Track Classic at Auburn.
With the way they push each other, they both said the other person breaking their record motivated them or is motivating them to take the record back. But they’re both happy for the other person when they perform well.
“We’re hoping to push each other each week and keep moving the mark,” Schroeder said.
During the indoor season, throws coach Cory Martin predicted they would trade the record the way they have.
“I was talking with Coach Helmer, and I said ‘They’re going to go back and forth all year. Buckle up,’” Martin said. “But yeah, it’s going to be there all year. They’re doing a really good job of being competitors but at the end of the day not letting it get to them and taking it to a personal level.”
With McClinton and Schroeder, it’s more of a friendly competitiveness than a competitive friendship. They’re roommates and best friends through it all.
Schroeder, a graduate student, came to IU this year, and McClinton helped her get acclimated to life in Bloomington on and off the track. Both fondly recalled McClinton taking Schroeder to many restaurants in Bloomington and developing a liking for Village Deli.
“I feel like we have the same sense of humor, which worked out,” McClinton said. “We go out to eat a lot. We play Scattegories, we play board games. We just like to do everything together, which I’m really fortunate for.”
It’s harder for the throwers to fit into the dynamic of the rest of the team because at practices, while other groups have their workouts on the track or inside the track, the throwers area is off in the back corner. But Helmer said despite that, McClinton and Schroeder have taken a subtle, quiet leadership role on the team through their results.
"They have provided some pretty good examples and are gradually gaining more and more respect from the group," Helmer said.
Their relationship may best be defined by the period just after the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. McClinton qualified for the first time, but she had a letdown performance on the big stage.
“I kept saying that I was trash, and I knew that wasn’t good for me and my confidence,” McClinton said. “So I told her that every time I say that, you can slap me in the face. And I haven’t said it since.”
McClinton added that seeing Schroeder perform well in early outdoor practices motivated her to pick up the slack and get on the same level so she could be a good training partner.
They have also managed to use their close relationship to benefit the team. The coaching staff continually praises their competitiveness and effort in workouts.
“They both expect the other one to go (set the record),” Helmer said. “I think they would be insulted if the other one didn’t go after it as hard as they could. That’s about as healthy a place as they could be.”
