Track & Field Championships: Zamzow zips into NCAAs as No. 1 ranked Heptathlete

By Riley Zayas
Horns Illustrated Contributor

This week, from June 5th through 8th, Mike A. Myers stadium will play host to the biggest event in college track and field — The NCAA National Championships. It will be a showcase of the best of the best in the NCAA with athletes competing in a variety of different running and field events, from the 100m dash to the 10,000m run, the high jump to the javelin, this is a meet that will determine the NCAA’s best in 2019.

Considering that the 2019 Texas Texas Track and Field team has enjoyed so much success over the course of the outdoor season, it’s no wonder that 20 different Longhorns will be representing the host team this week. Out of all 20, four have stood out over the course of this journey to the championships. All four have different backgrounds, different stories and run different races, but all stand proud in the Eyes of Texas. Horns Illustrated profiles those four athletes heading into the big meet — Sam Worley, Tripp Piperi, Ashtin Zamzow and Teahna Daniels.

Ashtin Zamzow

Ashtin Zamzow always knew she wanted to be a Longhorn.

She just took a longer path trekking to the Forty acres, passing through College Station on her way.

“I always knew I wanted to come to Texas,” Zamzow said. “But I grew up an Aggie, and was called to go to A&M and try it out.”

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Following in the footsteps of her mom and dad, both runners for the Aggies, the now No. 1 ranked NCAA women’s Heptathlete was once part of a team that was a rival of the Horns.

However, running for Texas had always felt like the best fit, so she decided to transfer to the Austin from Aggieland in 2015. As soon as she was eligible to compete, she began working at becoming one of the NCAA’s most respected athletes in the Heptathlon.

The Heptathlon is not an easy event to master. There are seven events, and athletes have to be skilled in each area of competition. For Zamzow, she says she feels that the javelin is her best event, but enjoys the high jump most.

“Although I’m better in the javelin, the high jump is my favorite because it requires natural talent and pretty specific skills in order to master that event,” she said.

Regardless, when watching her compete it is clear she has talent and has worked diligently to improve her technique in every event. That work ethic has allowed the senior to be earn Big 12 Women’s Track and Field

Athlete of the Week honors and Zamzow currently holds the top seed coming into this meet with a score of 6148.

“My parents told me, ‘You’re going to have to work hard to get to where you want to be,’ because that’s what they did,” Zamzow said with a laugh. “I just did that since I was 6 years old, and it paid off. I never thought it would, but here I am, the No. 1 ranked Heptathlete in division one and nationals right around the corner and the school record.”

Here she is indeed.

Starting June 7th, Zamzow will begin the Heptathlon, spanning across two days as she looks to claim the NCAA title for the first time in her career. This will be her final meet as a Longhorn, but the Longhorn pride she has experienced during her four years on the Forty Acres will stick with her for the rest of her life.

“The Longhorn pride has been amazing and the alumni coming back and encouraging the athletes running down,” Zamzow says. “I love that support and the following that Texas has.”

Without a doubt, that pride will be an extra boost of confidence as she goes for first in the Heptathlon and tries to help her team earn a much deserved victory.

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