Ursuline Academy graduate McSorley looks to bring big throws to in-state Blue Hens
WILMINGTON, Del. (BVM) — The University of Delaware women’s track and field team will look to receive a boost from an in-state throwing prodigy this fall. Alexandra McSorley, a recent graduate of Ursuline Academy, has been a mainstay near the top of the leaderboards in both the shot put and discuss events through her four years at the school. Now, McSorley will look to translate her success with the Raiders to a fruitful career with the Division I Blue Hens as she attempts to walk onto the team this fall.
McSorley has been an avid thrower since she was a middle schooler when the young athlete was first introduced to the art by sheer luck. Originally a long jumper, during one meet where the event was not available, McSorley’s coach convinced her to try shotput. Now, it is her specialty.
“For a while, I was like, ‘No I don’t really want to,’” McSorley said. “Finally this one dad was trying to help me and I was like ‘OK’ and I tried it. Then it just kind of became my thing.”
She would continue to throw shot all four years in high school while adding discus to her arsenal her freshman year. McSorley admits that discus was an adjustment, but she has taken to the event well.
“That was something definitely different from shotput because it’s so much more technique than just pure strength from shot put,” McSorley said.
Although she may be seen as an underdog when she attempts to make the Blue Hens roster, making a transition to the big stage is nothing new for McSorley. After performing well at the Delaware Interscholastic Athletics Association outdoor championships the spring of her junior year, McSorley wanted to bring her game to the next level. She scoured the internet for coaches that specialized in throwing events and ended up under the tutelage of Barry Swanson, a Pennsylvania Track and Field Hall of Famer and owner of Train Hard Win Big personal training.
“He’s known for some of the top throwers from Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and all over,” McSorley said. “It’s been really cool to train with him. … I remember telling my parents at the end of the championship meet ‘I’m not done yet.’ I just really want to try out for the Junior Olympics.”
Following the championships, during the summer, the then rising senior McSorley competed in three national events hosted by USA Track and Field. McSorley not only participated, but put on a show, especially during the qualifying and regional rounds.
During her first competition at the USATF Mid-Atlantic Association Junior Olympic Championships on June 9, 2019, McSorley proved why she is one of the best throwers for her age. McSorley earned first place in the 4 kg shot put with a 29 foot and 5.25 inches throw. She backed that throw up with a second-place performance in the 1 kg discus with a 74 foot and 5.75 inches throw. These finishes helped McSorley become the only participant at the event to finish in the top two of each event.
“In the back of my mind, I know nationals is going to be really difficult for me so I kind of went in with an open mind just for the experience,” McSorley said. “For me, I was super shocked. It wasn’t like a huge meet, but placing at a qualifying meet I was just in shock. It was definitely a really good experience.”
With her performance, McSorley qualified for the USATF Region 2 Junior Olympics Championships qualifier in Slippery Rock, Pa. a month later. At this event, McSorley brought her performance to the next level, setting personal records for both events during the competition with a 31 foot and 7.25 inches throw in the shot put, good for second place, and a 78 foot and 2.25 inches throw in the discus, good for a fourth-place finish. This qualified McSorley for the USATF Hershey National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships at California State University in Sacramento, Calif.
“That was really exciting,” McSorley said. “I was ecstatic. I didn’t know what to expect. I knew I would go in there with an open mind not expecting to place in the top five in both events. I was going up against some of the best people in the region and it was cool to just watch them, but it was really cool to see. Wow, I didn’t think I would place that high and I did.”
Hershey National is considered the premier event for the USATF, specifically for those in the youth and junior categories, as the best participants from across the country gather to compete for a week of track and field events. This was the first time McSorley was able to compete at the event and it helped to establish herself as not only one of the best field athletes in Delaware, but in the country.
“I just remember my mom, we were screaming and my mom was like ‘You did it!’” McSorley said.
At the event, McSorley finished with a final shot put throw of 30 feet and 11.75 inches and a final discus throw of 74 feet and 4.5 inches. The two throws placed McSorley in 32nd and 34th, respectively. Though the results weren’t what McSorley had hoped for, it was an experience she will never forget.
“I think nationals was just the best experience of my entire life,” McSorley said. “I remember them saying just being there is something you will remember forever and it is something I think I will remember forever.”
The competition was also an opportunity for McSorley to gauge herself against some of the best of the best in the sport, helping her prepare for the jump to Division I this fall.
“The experience is worth more than any medals or anything to me,” McSorley said. “This is going to be a really good foundation for any of my other meets that I go to. That could be small or big. I got a lot more mental toughness just from being exposed to that big of a meet and that high pressure and everything like that. So I think I have that kind of under my belt and that will help keep me more focused at the college level.”
Coming off her strong performances last summer, McSorley was preparing to cap her Raiders career with a memorable senior season. She started off well with a first-place shot put finish in the Tower Hill Indoor Invitational with a throw of 30 feet and 11.5 inches. She followed this performance up with three straight top 10 finishes in the event at three different invitationals before going to the DIAA State Indoor Championships in February.
“For me, I think the fact I had gone to those meets helped relieve some of the pressure,” McSorley said. “I think it really helped to take away some of the pressure because I never had that past experience.”
During the state championships, McSorley again established herself as one of the state’s best. McSorley finished with a throw of 33 feet and 3.5 inches, establishing a personal best for her in the process. The throw was good enough to place McSorley in fifth for the competition heading into her final outdoor season.
“I think I was set up pretty well,” McSorley said. “I think it was a really good meet for me especially.”
The spring season would have given McSorley the opportunity to put her name among some of the other Raider greats who have come through the program. The senior had already established top 10 records in both the shot put and the discus with the fourth-longest shot put throw in school history and the tenth-longest discus throw. It was likely the improved athlete would have been able to surpass her own marks and maybe even some of the other records ahead of her during her last season, but she was never able to take her place inside the thrower’s circle this spring.
“It was just a shame,” McSorley said. “I was kind of coming to a breaking point where I had finally become really consistent with my throws and everything like that. We were just at a really good point where I felt like I was going to be set up really well for my spring season. That was something where I was like ugh. I was really bummed.”
The DIAA canceled the spring sports season due to the restrictions of COVID-19, shutting down any chance for McSorley and her fellow seniors to be able to finish their careers on their terms. In total, McSorley lettered four times for the Ursuline track and field team while also graduating as the team’s co-captain. McSorley’s coach Brittany Keller had nothing but praise for her top-flight thrower.
“Alex is such a hard worker, which has truly paid off,” Keller said. “She has established herself as one of Delaware’s top throwers in both shot put and discus. Alex’s passion and work ethic carries through in both practice and competition. She is kind and has a good sense of humor. Alex has a bright future ahead and we look forward to seeing all she accomplishes in the future.”
Although she didn’t get to end her high school career the way she wanted, McSorley is fortunate enough to be able to continue her throwing performances with the Blue Hens. With the loss of her senior season, McSorley, who was looking at other schools to attend without participating in track and field, felt she needed to finish what she couldn’t during high school.
“That was kind of my other motivation to do it in college,” McSorley said. “I felt like I wasn’t finished. I wanted four more years or just more time to compete.”
McSorley was adamant in competing in college and reached out to the Blue Hens’ coach to see if she could earn an opportunity to walk on. Fortunately, McSorley also knew a couple of other throwers who she trained with that would help her make the transition to the school and she impressed the coaches enough to earn an opportunity.
“I just sent some videos and I had some connections with coaches,” McSorley said. “I just asked if I could walk on and they were like ‘Yeah.’ That was definitely a big moment for me. I know what the standards are at UD and having the chance to walk on. I still have a lot more room for improvement, so I think I could be a good asset for their team which I’m excited about.”
When McSorley arrives on campus at the University of Delaware, she will be the only member of the track and field team that graduated from Ursuline. As one of the best throwers in the school’s history, it will certainly be a feather in the cap for the local school and a benefit for McSorley with friends and family in the nearby area.
“My head coach at Ursuline actually used to be the head coach for the Delaware track team so I think that’s also kind of cool too,” McSorley said. “It almost feels like carrying out some sort of legacy or something. I just think it’s really cool. … I’m definitely really excited about that.”
Though the jump to Division I may be a challenge to some people, McSorley has been able to prove herself on some of the biggest stages in the country and it will be no different to her when she enters the throwing circle in a Blue Hens singlet. Currently, McSorley is working with Swanson three days a week including six-hour days on Sundays. Through her workouts, she has already seen significant improvement in her technique and she is hoping to bring that talent to the University of Delaware team this fall. For McSorley, it’s about the love of the grind and growing more than any roster spot.
“I just love this sport,” McSorley said. “I just want to keep doing it. No matter if I’m on the varsity team this year or next year, I just think as a matter of training with the team and just trying to get better is all I can ask for.”
