For The Tribune
Jaelyn Reynolds wanted to continue her track and field career beyond Brownstown Central High School, and she wanted to compete where she felt comfortable.
Those are among the reasons she will enroll at Vincennes University this fall.
Jaelyn’s brother, Mark, is a current member of the men’s track and field team at Vincennes.
“(Mark) has been throwing discus, shot put, hammer and weight throw,” Reynolds said. “He is graduating and will transfer to St. Joseph’s and throw.
“I’ve heard great things about (Vincennes) from my brother, and I was around the coaches last year … and I talked to them some, and I just liked the team and the atmosphere there.”
Reynolds has thrown the shot and discus for the Braves, and plans to continue those evens while adding the hammer throw to her skill set at Vincennes.
“I have purchased a hammer and I have been throwing it already, my brother has been helping me with it,” Reynolds said. “I’m still a little bit leery of it. The boys (hammer) is the same weight as a shot put so ours is 8.8 pounds.”
During her tenure with the Braves, Reynolds has proven the most consistent thrower on the girls team.
“She’s been our top thrower the past four years,” Braves coach Maria Weigel said.
“She is really going to make an impact there. I’ve seen a couple of the distances there. She’s probably (going to be) one of their top discus throwers and one of their top discus throwers, and once she picks up the hammer she’ll score more points in that as well.”
Weigel said Reynolds’ best event at Brownstown has been the discus.
“In the discus (Reynolds) has improved her spin immensely throughout the past four years,” she said. “She has a really good release, a really good throw, and in the shot put she has a really good glide because her legs are really strong. She’s getting a whole lot better.”
Before she graduates, Reynolds aims to make the state meet in the discus.
“That’s the event, hopefully, we want to get her to state in,” Weigel said. “If she has a good sectional and a good regional then she definitely has a chance to make it to the state meet. It would be a good way to cap a good four years.”
On top of her throwing skills, Reynolds provides leadership to the team.
“In both the throws she helps me out when I’m not there,” Weigel said. “If I’m helping with another event she’s definitely there coaching those girls.
“She is really going to do well at Vincennes. It’s a good fit.”
Attending a small school was another draw for Reynolds.
“It’s a smaller school, I really don’t want to go to a big school with thousands and thousands of people,” Reynolds said. “I want to stay in a small atmosphere.
“I’ve enjoyed the meets (here). We have great meets and I like all the different places that we go, like Jennings County and Seymour. Seymour is probably one of my favorite rings to throw in.”
Her career-best in the shot has been 35-1, and 119-3 in the discus.
She said she threw the shot 37 feet in practice one day and is hoping she can get back there.
The goal in discus, for Reynolds, is to throw 125 feet.
Reynolds won the discus in the Mid-Southern Conference meet her sophomore year, and won sectional in discus her freshman year.
“I like track because it is a team sport, but you have your individual events too,” Reynolds said. “You can win your event, but your team many not win. I like it because it’s more concentrated on yourself more than working as a team.”